Dreams and Devils
by Blood Red Peach
Summary: Harry discovers new allies and friends, learning a bit about himself along the way. Lots of angst, sexual tension, and romance. Bear with the first few chapters, they are amateurish, but it will get better. Work in progress, editors in need!
1. Chapter 1

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter One – An interesting stay**

**A/N:** Howdy folks and faithful readers! Welcome to my (almost) first fanfiction. Don't ask why I decided to start writing, I really have no idea. Anyway, this is it. Enjoy it. If you want to contact me privately, review with your screenname/msn/yahoo ID or email me. All reviews except pointless flames are acceptable, so review carefully. Constructive criticism more than welcome, but remember, I'm writing this story for myself, and not for you. Don't be disappointed if your suggestions aren't used! Most of all, though, enjoy the story!

**Copyright: **No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. All fictional characters native to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, etc. etc. etc.

For the first two weeks of the summer, Harry was a wreck. He had decided that it was his own fault that Sirius passed through the veil, causing an immediate onset of extreme depression. Spending the entire first week locked in his room caused Aunt Petunia quite a bit of worry. He could be heard, late into the night, sobbing. When Uncle Vernon was out, Aunt Petunia sometimes worked up the courage to enter his quarters.

One particular encounter stood out in Harry's mind as a sudden display of affection from the woman who was responsible for treating him like garbage for so many years.

_Aunt Petunia approached the door carefully. She heard soft sobbing inside, and, knocking, slowly pushed her way in._

"_Are you alright, Harry?" Harry looked up at her and nodded his head, but his answer was meaningless. She knew he wasn't 'alright.'_

"_What's the matter, what happened?" she asked. Choking back tears, Harry managed to find his voice. Before he knew it, he was spilling his guts to his only living adult blood relative._

"_My g-godfather w-w-was murdered," he choked out. "T-t-two months ago, m-ministry of m-m-magic." He struggled with himself and eventually regained his composure. He related the entire story of his previous year at Hogwarts, up through and including the Department of Mysteries. By the end of the story, he was too weak to resume crying. His aunt put a tender arm around him and comforted him as best she could. Suddenly, Harry looked up and decided to disclose the main source of his pain. "It was my fault, Aunt Petunia. If I hadn't fallen for Lord Voldemort's trick, this never would have happened. It's all my fault that he's gone!"_

_Aunt Petunia was rather taken aback by this statement. She hugged him and whispered, "It wasn't your fault, Harry. It wasn't your fault."_

This conversation had represented a turning point in Harry's relationship with his Aunt. Granted, she still treated him as though he didn't exist in front of his Uncle, but he was sympathetic towards her behavior. One night, however, Harry heard yelling coming from his Aunt and Uncle's bedroom.

"—DON'T CARE WHAT HE'S BEEN THROUGH, PETUNIA, THAT DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING."

"Vernon, please, you have to understand what this boy's been through! He's lost everything he ever held dear to him. He has nothing, not even any family to fall back on. This has to stop, Vernon. It has to."

The conversation continued for about ten more minutes, and resulted in Uncle Vernon conceding that he gained nothing by treating Harry in such a horrible manner. The next morning, when Uncle Vernon had left for work, Harry relayed his infinite gratitude to his aunt. She just smiled and said, "It had to be done eventually."

Dudley, however, spent the first week teasing him about his crying. When Harry snapped, however, and explained the situation, Dudley was quickly silenced. The following week, he was extremely kind to Harry, understanding what it must be like for him. He even offered to work out with Harry so that he could take his mind off of his godfather, as well as being able to blow off some steam. Harry graciously accepted this offer and the two grew quite close over the coming weeks.

"_What happened with the Privet Drive I thought I knew?"_ Harry wondered.

He fell asleep easily that night, knowing that maybe there was some love on Privet Drive after all.

Harry woke with a start, rubbing his scar as cold sweat poured down his face. He was breathing hard. This had been the fifth time this summer that he had awoken to the now ever-so-familiar burning in his scar. He stood up and put on his glasses, causing the world to come sharply into focus.

"_Damn Voldemort," _he thought. "_Why can't you just cut it out already?"_

He walked over to the window, accepting that sleep would not come again. Cracking it opened half way, he peered out around the street that he had come to know and, well, just know. Privet Drive was normal as ever, at least, if you didn't know who resided in Number Four. Young Harry Potter lived with his aunt, uncle, and extremely large cousin; his parents had been ruthlessly murdered fifteen years before at the hands of the dark Lord Voldemort. See, Harry was a wizard, responsible for the downfall of the most powerful evil sorcerer of all time at age 1. Since age 11, he had gone to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he had come face to face with Lord Voldemort on four separate occasions.

Harry poked his head slowly out the window, welcoming the cool breeze on his sweaty face. Just then he noticed a rather rugged looking man attempting to hide himself behind one of the neighbors' cars. The strong smell of booze drifted up to Harry's nose. "_Mundungus," _ he thought, realizing that this man was Mundungus Fletcher, member of the Order of the Phoenix, attempting to keep watch on Harry. "_Couldn't you at least try to keep yourself inconspicuous?" _he wondered. He shook his head disapprovingly and withdrew back into his room.

Deciding to make the best of what was left of the night, Harry opened up his Charms book. He scanned the pages, information seeping into his brain as he read everything he could find about wards and defensive barriers. He sighed, wishing he could practice some of them.

He was quickly frustrated by the fact that he couldn't even try any of the charms he was learning, and, closing the charms book, decided to focus on Defense Against the Dark Arts. He flipped to page 655, the starting chapter on offensive spells. "_Expelliarmus? I thought this would be interesting!" _thought Harry moodily. Soon did he discover, however, that the book was, in fact, very interesting. He had learned several new uses for curses and hexes he had never even imagined.

Harry smiled as he got comfortable reading his book and learning many practical uses for spells he had thought useless. After was seemed like ten minutes, but was, in reality, several hours, he came to the end of the chapter. Not wanting to move, he decided to continue reading. The next chapter was entitled Wandless Magic. "_Interesting,_" he thought as he began to read.

"Wandless Magic is the most ancient form of magic, developed before wands were created to channel the energy put into spells. Because of the nature of wandless magic, very few people are capable of practicing it. In order to achieve wandless spells, much more energy is required than those performed with a wand. However, when performed properly, wandless magic can be many times more powerful than wand magic. People capable of wandless magic will often demonstrate this ability at a young age by unintentionally performing magic without a wand. This magic can be and is very often triggered as an emotional response or defense mechanism in certain situations."

This chapter had more than just caught Harry's attention. He was about to close the book with the last sentence, when he finally processed what it said. He did a quick double take and re-read it. "Wandless magic, however, is strongly discouraged by most ministries of magic, because, due to its nature, it cannot be traced in the same manner as wand magic." The entire meaning of this had just set in. _"Wandless magic could be performed and go unnoticed by the ministry!" _he thought excitedly.

His heart practically beating in his throat, Harry began to quickly skim all the passages regarding use of wandless magic. Memories began flooding into his brain of jumping and somehow landing on the roof, of shrinking that horrid sweater, of growing out his hair, and, his most delightful memory, making the glass on a reptile cage disappear, causing a boa constrictor to snap at Dudley. All of these, he had decided, were emotional responses. According to this, then, he should be able to do wandless magic.

Consulting every resource in his possession, he learned as much as he could on the matter. All of his books outlined the fact that wandless magic was extremely dangerous if practiced without proper instruction and supervision. Disregarding this fact, Harry decided to give it a go. He focused, just as his Charms book had detailed, solely on the idea of unlocking his door. Staring hard at the lock, he said, "Alohamora!" He felt the energy drain out of his body, and a silver-yellow glow emanated from his person. As soon as it vanished, he dashed to the door and tried the knob. Nothing. The door was still locked.

"Damn!" he muttered.

He decided to put his morning to good use, continuously attempting to unlock his door wandlessly, which he found very tiring. By midmorning, everyone in the house had awoken, and aunt Petunia had come to unlock his door. He had anticipated the breakfast that awaited him downstairs. Struggling to his feet, he staggered down the stairs to the kitchen table.

"Hey Duds!" he said happily, greeting his cousin as he saw him at the table.

"What's got you in such an up mood?" queried Dudley.

"You know, slept well," Harry lied.

All in all, this summer was going well; far better, at least, than any previous summer with the Dursleys. Other than the sporadic conversations with his Aunt and Dudley, he had been left to his own devices for the most part, and he was getting on rather well with what he had. He frequently owled Professor Lupin regarding his situation, as well as keeping in close contact with Ron and Hermione. As he was eating breakfast, he realized that his birthday was only one short week away. He silently pondered whether the Dursleys might recognize it this year. He doubted it, but he did have a little hope.

He spent the entire day locked up in his room reading. When night came, he told everyone that he was thoroughly exhausted and decided to turn in early. His actual reason for this was so that he could wake up early and practice wandless magic. For six days preceding his birthday, he tried, but to no avail, to unlock his door wandlessly. On the seventh day before his birthday, he concentrated hard, eyes almost bulging out of his head. The now familiar yellow-silver aura appeared around him, only this time, it concentrated and flew at the lock, which snapped quickly opened. Harry hardly felt the loss of energy as a rush of adrenaline hit him full force. He had done it! He had used wandless magic!

Just then he felt something tingle in the back of his brain. Sensing something, he turned around and approached the window. Right there, hiding behind that very same car, was Mundungus Fletcher.

"_Apparently,"_ thought Harry, _"these new powers also help me recognize whenever a wizard is around!"_

Harry returned to bed for another two hours before awaking to a soft knocking on his door. "Harry, dear," came his aunt's voice. "Wake up, Harry, breakfast is ready."

Harry climbed to his feet and dressed. He walked down the stairs to the kitchen, feeling rather tired from the mornings adventure. As he walked in, Aunt Petunia looked up from breakfast. "Happy birthday, Harry," she said, a soft smile on her face.

"Thanks," he grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Just then the full force of what she had said hit him. His eyes shot opened. "W-w-what?" he asked, stammering.

"Happy birthday!"

"Uh, thanks, Aunt Petunia."

Harry shook his head, wondering if he was imagining things. He pinched himself. _"Nope, still hurts," _he thought, dully. His heart raced. Just then, Uncle Vernon walked in.

"Oh, you," he said with a tone of an internal struggle. "Uh, right, happy birthday." Uncle Vernon just barely choked out the words.

"Thanks a bunch, Uncle Vernon. You don't know how much that means to me!" said Harry sincerely.

"No problem," he said, looking rather red.

Dudley strolled in at that moment, turned, looked at Harry, and yelled, "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks Duds!" he replied.

They all took their seats at the table and began to eat. As breakfast concluded, Dudley cleared his throat.

"Ahem, Harry, I was thinking." Harry almost fell out of his chair. Dudley? Thinking? Since when?

Dudley, however, seemed not to notice. "I was thinking that, maybe, for your birthday, I could teach you how to ride a bicycle. I've already got one for you from mum and dad, and it would make working out together a lot more fun. Besides, we could cover a lot more ground this way than we can jogging.

Harry was about to reply when Uncle Vernon jumped in with his sentiments. "Well, I don't suppose it's such a bad idea. Get you out of the house, it would."

Harry smirked and shook his head. This lot was unbelievable. He, however, was looking forward to the opportunity. "Sure thing, when do we start?"

"Today, if you want."

"Sounds good!"

Aunt Petunia collected the plates as breakfast was adjourned. He ran upstairs and changed into a pair of gym clothes, which he had acquired a few years back. He met Dudley downstairs. While was certainly still overweight, Dudley had lost **much** of his excessive poundage, mainly due to his jogging, working out and eating habit changes.

Four hours and an intense session at the gym later, Harry and Dudley were on their way home. Harry was drained. _"That was tougher than any other session we've ever had!" _he thought. _"Maybe I'll get better at wandless magic because I'll have more energy, though,"_ piped up another voice.

Harry jumped into the shower to cool off and wash off the stench. He dried off and decided to go for a walk. He glanced around curiously as he felt another slight prickle in the back of his brain. He decided that it must be someone from the order, before turning around and walking down to the park. He plopped himself carelessly on the merry-go-round, feeling thoroughly sore from the morning's workout.

Just then, an owl approached him. Harry recognized it immediately as Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl. He took the letter that Pig was offering him and read it carefully.

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy birthday mate! I'm here at Grimmauld Place with Hermione and her family, as well as my family and Professor Lupin. Anyway, the order is making arrangements to pick you up in two weeks, and they said they'll be driving (this time). I have another owl coming with all your presents, I hope you like them. Anyhow, let me know how you're doing and what you think of the idea. They'll come get you either way._

_Ron_

Harry read it and took it all in. _"Only two weeks?"_ he thought ecstatically. He ran home quickly. He had to master wandless magic this summer, he decided.

Focusing again that night on wandless magic, he was able to unlock the door several times before becoming weary.

Harry woke early the next morning to practice magic some more before the family was awake. He practiced summoning pennies to him wandlessly, but it was very difficult, and, as he soon found out, rather tiring. A short nap later he was on his feet and greeted the family downstairs. After breakfast, he settled on just reading for the day. He opened another charms coursebook and studied every page. Soon, dinner was ready, and Harry went down. After everything was cleaned up, Dudley and Harry decided to go jogging.

The two jogged until the sun had completely set. They shared a lot of laughs, and by the end of the night, they had gone through sufficient 'male bonding'. As the night ended, Dudley decided to go in and watch some T.V., while Harry resolved to confront whatever order member happened to be tailing him at the moment. Following his instincts, he was able to determine by the intensity of the feeling in his head that it was one of the stronger members. _"Must be Moody," _he thought.

Sneaking up behind him, Harry stuck out a hand and said, "Expelliarmus!" Moody's wand flew straight into his hand, and he was awestruck.

"Potter, how in the hell did you do that without a wand?"

"Wandless magic," he said simply.

"Eh, not as wimpy as I've heard, then?" he asked, smiling. "Why did you disarm me?"

"Well, I might have scared you into hexing me if I had just jumped into a conversation."

"You're learning, Potter. Constant vigilance. Now, can I have my wand back?" he growled.

Harry had a short conversation with Mad-eye about his removal. They would be traveling by car, as Ron had said, and Moody would be heading the guard again.

"How's Remus?" asked Harry. "He's been writing to me saying he's fine, but I'm not sure I believe him."

"He's getting on alright. He's been better, though," admitted Moody.

Harry shrugged and ended the conversation with a brief goodbye.

When he walked into his house, Dudley was sitting comfortably in front of the television. He glanced up as Harry entered, and he winked.

Harry smiled and walked up to his bedroom, too excited to sleep. He had just caught one of the best Aurors of all time unawares and disarmed him. And wandlessly, no less. To take his mind off things, he practiced a bit more wandless magic. He found objects flying to his hands out of the sheer excitement he was feeling.

Finally tired and relaxed, Harry was able to sleep peacefully.

As the summer slipped by, Harry continued his working out with Dudley, practicing his wandless magic and reading. He found himself heavily studying theories of spells and charms, including the most complex spells he could find. By the time he was due to be picked up by Moody and company, he had put on quite a bit of muscle and was much smarter when it came to magical theory than almost anyone at Hogwarts, barring, of course, Hermione. But he was sure he had the raw power to utilize this knowledge far better than Hermione would be able to. He was also extremely strong when it came to wandless magic, now that he had much more energy due to his constant workouts and practice. He had also achieved complete control over the tingling sensation he was feeling near wizards. His control was so definite that he was almost able to use it as a sort of tracking device for wizards.

Harry retired to bed early that night, anticipating his removal from his private hell on Privet Drive.

**A/N:** I hope you liked the story, kindly share your thoughts for next time! Expect frequent updates, too!


	2. Chapter 2

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter 2 – A Pleasant Surprise**

**A/N:** I just wanted to clarify one thing. I understand that some of you thought Harry had been locked in his room. Obviously, this led to the question of why he didn't tell the order this, as per Moody's threat. The truth is, he wasn't locked in his room. The lock I referred to is on the inside of the door. As far as the summer being a private hell; Harry was experiencing mixed feelings. While he had grown closer to Dudley and his Aunt, he could tell that some of the affection was out of fear, and he still wasn't being treated nearly as well as Dudley. That's the best I can do to cover up that screw up ;) I had a lot of thoughts running through my mind at the writing of that chapter, which originally was a lot different than it is now. After about a week of contemplation and editing I was able to get something that was readable. Anyway, enough of me. Let's get on with it!

**Copyright: **No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. All fictional characters native to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, etc. etc. etc.

Harry awoke early the next morning, anxious for the arrival of his guard. He decided that, since he was lazy, he would try to wandlessly pack. He had never attempted something so complicated, so he was careful with his energy expenditure. He was only able to get a bunch of clothes packed up into his trunk before he was forced to pack muggle style.

"Why can't I be stronger wandlessly?" Harry thought aloud, frustrated.

As he was just finishing up with his textbooks, the Dursleys began to roam the house. Harry grabbed his trunk and heaved it downstairs. It was much easier than he remembered it being.

"_Must be all that working out," _he realized.

He entered the kitchen, wand in pocket, to find Aunt Petunia slaving over some bacon and eggs.

"Here Aunt Petunia, let me get that for you," said Harry, grabbing the handle of the pan which contained the bacon.

"Thanks, Harry." She smiled.

"You know, Harry, since Vernon's not here, I think its ok for me to say this. I think I'm going to miss you while you're gone. I know it sounds so stupid, but you remind me so much of Lily. We were so close when we were younger, until I found out she was a witch. I refused to talk to her from then, and I don't go through a day in my life without regretting it. I wish I hadn't, but I can't change the past, can I?" At this point Aunt Petunia was on the verge of tears. Harry, however, responded by quietly embracing his aunt, patting her empathetically.

Aunt Petunia turned back to the stove and focused on the eggs. Just then, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" thundered Uncle Vernon from the sitting room.

"I'll get it," called Harry. He walked briskly to the door and unlatched it. Peering out, he noticed four very familiar faces. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin and Mad-eye Moody were standing on his front porch. He opened the door, allowing them to step in. Their shoes were extremely muddy, and they were tracking mud on Aunt Petunia's new white carpeting.

"You might want to clean yourselves up; my aunt will throw a fit if she finds her carpet like that!" said Harry.

Dudley and Uncle Vernon stared as Kingsley waved his wand, cleaning up all of the mud and returning the carpet to its original state.

"Have they been treating you alright?" growled Moody.

"Always so cheerful, Mad-Eye," piped in Tonks.

"Seriously, Potter, how have they been treating you?" he asked again, indicating, with what was left of his thumb, Uncle Vernon sitting on the couch.

"Fine."

"Are you sure?" Moody queried.

"Quite."

Moody then proceeded to yank up Harry's shirt, obviously looking for some signs of abuse. This was too much for Uncle Vernon, who stood up in protest.

"We have **NOT** been abusing him!"

"I'll check that out for myself, thanks," said Moody, eyeing Uncle Vernon suspiciously. "There don't seem to be any signs of abuse."

"Thanks, Moody," said Harry sarcastically.

"Harry," began Tonks, "when did you get so muscular?"

"I started working out with Dudley over the summer." As these words sank in, the members of the order looked shocked. "Well," he said cheerfully, "We've grown quite close over the course of the summer."

Aunt Petunia had just stepped out of the kitchen to investigate what all the noise was. Eyeing the group of witches and wizards, all with wands strapped down neatly into holsters, Harry's aunt resolved to invite these people in for breakfast to avoid any altercations. Before Moody could say anything, Tonks replied, "Sure thing!."

Entering the kitchen, they all sat down. Moody drew his wand and cast a series of complicated charms to ensure that his food was not poisoned. Grumbling, he took a bite, decided it was delicious, and devoured the remainder of his meal. When the time came, they had decided Harry should say his goodbyes so they could get on with the departure. He quickly hugged his Aunt and cousin, as well as briefly shaking hands with his uncle.

The five packed themselves into a small, ministry issue car and drove off. Harry was excited about getting to see his friends again, finally.

"Well," he asked, "what's the news?"

As the car pulled into Grimmauld Place, Moody quickly put it under a disillusionment charm, so that the neighbors wouldn't be suspicious of a random car parked in the middle of nowhere. Harry thought about the message he had read the previous year, _"The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at number 12, Grimmauld Place."_ Suddenly, a house popped out of thin air, pushing aside two adjacent houses to make room for it. Harry followed behind Moody into the house silently so as to avoid waking Mrs. Black. As he crossed the threshold, memories of Sirius flooded his head, forcing him to struggle to maintain his composure. Just then, Tonks tripped over a turned up piece of carpeting right into a statue of a medieval knight. The loud clanging caused Mrs. Black to wake up and begin shrieking.

Harry turned to face her as she began, "FILTHY GOOD FOR NOTHING PIECE OF HALF-BRED TRASH!" she shouted at him. "CAN'T SEE WHY MY SON CARED FOR YOU. AND SPEAKING OF MY SON, THANK GOD HE'S DEAD. IT'S ABOUT TIME, THAT WORTHLESS SCUM OF EARTH!"

Harry was fuming. "Say that again," he said venomously.

"WHAT ARE **YOU** GOING TO DO ABOUT IT YOU IDIOTIC LITTLE BOY?"

This, however, hit a nerve with Harry, who began to shake with fury. All the picture frames in the room immediately cracked and splintered, glass was blown into millions of pieces and the knight that had been repositioned immediately shattered. Candles that were lit blew out as a sudden breeze found its way into the home. Mrs. Black shrieked as her portrait began tearing and began smoking, before eventually catching fire. After a moment, with a resounding tear, her portrait was torn clean off the wall and vanished.

Harry slumped to the ground, weak from the sudden loss of energy. Ron and Hermione had come down from upstairs to watch the commotion, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley coming out from the kitchen with Dumbledore. All present just stood in shock as the portrait that had been permanently stuck to the wall was torn off. Dumbledore reacted first, running over to Harry. He turned him over and looked into his face. He looked up grimly and said, "Harry will be fine. He used much more energy than anything I've ever seen before. Arthur, can you please fetch Poppy? I'll take him upstairs where he can rest."

With that, Professor Dumbledore lifted Harry as though he weighed less than a simple pillow, and carried him quickly up the stairs, laying him to rest in a large bed in a room that was formerly Sirius'.

Harry's eyes shot opened and his heart skipped. Breathing hard, he looked frantically around, only to see Professor Dumbledore happily twiddling his thumbs in a comfortable looking armchair. Looking right, he noticed Madam Pomfrey working on some potions on a dresser.

"Ah, Harry, you're awake!" said Dumbledore happily.

Harry rubbed his eyes and found his glasses on the bedside table. He put them on and asked, "What happened? I remember getting angry, and everything with Sirius' mother, but after that, how did I get here?"

"You passed out from the tremendous amount of raw energy you used in the performance of the task. Quite a spectacular performance, I might add. You outstripped every fully grown wizard in this house by doing that," he replied, a bright grin on his face and a soft twinkle in his eyes.

Harry finally was able to clear his head and recall everything that happened. Just then, Madam Pomfrey walked over and handed him a potion. "This should solve the energy depletion problem. Be thankful, Potter, that took me about two hours to complete. You're lucky I even had the supplies; they're extremely rare."

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey." He swallowed the potion in one gulp, causing a sudden rush of energy that cracked the headboard of the bed. Dumbledore just sat there smiling, shaking his head slightly.

"Poppy, could you give Harry and I a few moments alone?" asked Dumbledore.

"Certainly."

When she had gone, Dumbledore put several silencing charms on the room and conjured some tea, which Harry took some of graciously.

"So, tell me Harry, what exactly did you do out there? You didn't even use a wand!"

"I'm not really sure, Professor. My magic seems to act on my intentions rather than incantations now. See, over the summer I trained myself a little in wandless magic."

"You can do wandless magic?" asked Dumbledore incredulously.

"A bit."

"I'm not altogether surprised that you're capable of it, however I am surprised that you were able to learn some of it and control it. It's very dangerous to learn on your own, especially since there is a lack of experts in that field."

"Well, with some practice I was able to do a bit. Simple charms, really, unlocking, summoning from a few feet away. I did get of a nice disarming charm, but that was the strongest I've done so far."

"I'm impressed, Harry. Perhaps I can get someone to train you in this matter. Our new Defense against the Dark Arts professor should be perfectly capable of doing so. I will also personally work with you on some of these matters," he said calmly.

"Well, Professor, I've been extremely straightforward with you, so I was wondering, do you have any other secrets you've been meaning to tell me?" asked Harry, bitterly recalling the events at the end of the previous year.

"Other than the fact that you, Ron and Hermione have been enlisted in the Order, there is nothing new. There will be a meeting tonight, however, that you are more than welcome to attend." Dumbledore stood up and left with those words. Harry climbed out of the bed and glanced out the window at the lake in back of the house. He heard a soft knock on the door as Ron pushed his way in, Hermione at his heels.

"You ok mate? That was some show!" said Ron.

"Fine," said Harry. Hermione ran up to him and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"We were SO worried about you, Harry. Are you alright? Is everything ok?"

Harry pushed her off of him and said, "Yes, Hermione, it's fine."

The three talked for an hour, catching up on the summers events. Suddenly, there was a call for lunch.

"You two go ahead," said Harry. "I'll be down in a moment."

As Ron and Hermione left, Remus Lupin entered the room. He skipped the formalities and hugged Harry tightly. Sensing what Remus was thinking, he said, "It's alright, Remus, he would want us to be happy."

"We're to attend Gringotts next week for the reading of Sirius' will." Harry could see the struggle in his old professor's face with those last words.

That night, Harry, Ron and Hermione were allowed to attend their first Order meeting. Dumbledore stood up to initiate the meeting. "Voldemort has been quiet thus far this summer. He is regrouping after the loss of 12 of his most invaluable Death Eaters. Now, Severus has informed me that Lord Voldemort is disgusted that six schoolchildren led by young Harry here were able to hold off 12 fully trained Death Eaters. As such, he has not sprung them from Azkaban yet. Other than this, we have no information regarding any future attacks; Severus has been kept out of those discussions. Does anyone have anything to add?"

"Yes, sir, I'd like to say something." Harry stood up, and all eyes fell on him. "Why are we just sitting here, discussing what Voldemort **isn't** doing? Professor Snape obviously knows where to find him, why don't we bring the war to him, instead of waiting for him to bring it to us?" This was not the same Harry they had left at the end of last year. This Harry was forward with his ideas, which were good ones. He noted a lot of nods in the group, particularly from Mad-Eye Moody and Remus.

"Because, Harry, we are not prepared to battle him yet."

"Well, shouldn't we be training then?"

Dumbledore, however, seemed to have no response to this last statement. The meeting progressed with their discussion of several insignificant matters regarding the appointment of new order members and the distribution of maps of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. As the meeting adjourned, Harry, Ron and Hermione went upstairs into Harry's room. Just then, Ginny made her first appearance of the night.

Poking her head in the door, she said, "Hey Harry! Do you guys mind if I come in?" Harry indicated for her to enter and she did.

"Harry, did you have to be so rude about it? You questioned _Dumbledore_ of all people! I think he knows what he's doing?" said Hermione.

"Hermione, you have to understand that Dumbledore doesn't want any negative public attention. Portraying him in a negative light would ruin his attempt at being well liked. He would rather that we just watch and respond and are depicted as the first response team to attacks, rather than the people who actually killed Voldemort pre-emtpively. If he keeps up at this rate, he might as well just invite Voldemort to attack whomever he pleases. Unless we bring the fight to him, we can't win. You can't win by defense," said Harry, finally.

"Harry, Dumbledore knows what he's doing. At least give him a chance!"

"Hermione, I've given him many chances. Last chance he got, he lied to me and it got Sirius killed!"

The others in the room were shocked by this statement. Harry mentally slapped himself. _"Damnit," _he thought, _"they don't KNOW about the prophecy!"_

Ron was the first to work up the courage to ask, "What do you mean, mate?"

Harry decided to tell them everything. He launched into a broad and detailed explanation of the prophecy. As he concluded, Hermione looked scared and Ron looked concerned.

"You sure it's true?" he asked.

"Dumbledore believes it."

"Even so, Harry, you should try to go along with what he says. He's got loads of experience and he might just know what he's doing!" said Hermione in a last desperate attempt to defend Dumbledore.

Harry just shook his head and changed the subject.

"Where are Fred and George?"

"They're staying in Diagon Alley in their shop," answered Ron. "Bill and Charlie had to get back to work as well," he added, noting the look on Harry's face.

"Yeah, I was wondering why they weren't here."

"Charlie actually referred those three recruits from Romania Dumbledore was talking about. They're friends of his – he's been working with them for about four years," said Ginny, who had been almost completely silent throughout the conversations.

Harry smiled at his surrogate sister and asked, "How have you been, Ginny?"

"Alright, been keeping busy," she answered.

"Where were you this whole time?"

"I wasn't feeling to well, so I just slept most of the day. When I woke up, you guys were already in the meeting."

"I have to ask, Ginny, how's your relationship with Dean?"

"Well, we broke up," she said, looking at the floor. "Conflicting interests. Turns out he doesn't really like the fact that I don't really want to write him a letter every day. Quite frankly, I'm happier now." She said these last words with a small smile.

Harry was in the mood for some tea, and he told the group so. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all went to bed, as Harry made his way downstairs. He ruffled his hair. After the potion Madam Pomfrey had given him, he wasn't feeling much like sleeping. He busied himself with the kettle before he heard footsteps. Hearing footsteps, Harry looked up to find Mad-Eye Moody walking in.

"Tea, eh Potter?" he growled.

"Yeah. Would you like some professor?"

"Love some. And don't call me professor. The name's Mad-Eye or Alastor if you like."

Harry filled two mugs with steaming water and sunk some tea into them. "How do you take it?"

"Milk and sugar, and a little honey if you don't mind."

Harry walked over to the table and sat down next to the man who was probably the most experienced auror alive. If Harry didn't know better, he might have said Moody was smiling.

"Dumbledore says you'll be better at wandless magic by the end of the year. I'm not sure I trust him to teach you how to control it."

"You don't trust anyone, Mad-Eye," he pointed out.

"True enough. I was wondering if maybe you'd like some private lessons. I don't do wandless magic myself, but I have a few friends who'd be more than happy to help you out."

"Well, I'll consider it. I want to see how Dumbledore approaches things before I take you up on your offer." He looked away from his tea and stared directly into Alastor Moody's eyes, before saying genuinely, "Thanks, Mad-Eye."

Harry got up and placed his cup in the sink. He walked slowly back to his bedroom, considering what Moody had said to him. He had much to think about as he collapsed on his bed and comfortably drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter 3 – Godric's Hollow**

**A/N:** Well, this fic is really moving along I suppose. I'm having a lot of fun coming up with ideas for the future of it. Hopefully you liked the last chapter and hopefully you'll like this one as well. As far as this being H/G? It isn't…Just a bit of casual flirtation in the beginning here – Harry still isn't sure who exactly he's after as far as a relationship is concerned.

**Copyright: **No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. All fictional characters native to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, etc. etc. etc.

Harry woke up the next morning to find all of his friends already up and about. He rubbed his eyes and threw on his glasses after dressing quickly. He made a brief effort to adjust his hair but gave up; it had never been cooperative, why would it be any different today? He swaggered over to the door and threw it opened. Walking up to Ron, he asked, "What time is it?"

"It's about half past noon. You slept for a long time, mate."

"I was tired, I guess." Harry wanted nothing more to do with this conversation; it was going nowhere.

Truth be told, Harry had matured a lot over the summer. He had become more reasonable and more to the point. He wasted little time in getting, or in trying to get, what he wanted. He had little desire for small talk anymore, anxious to talk when he had to, but otherwise just get things out of the way and get the war over with.

He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn't seen Lupin right in front of him. Instead, Harry walked head on into the man, knocking them both to the ground. Harry was first to his feet, and, extending a helpful hand, said, "Sorry about that. I wasn't really paying attention."

Remus rubbed his head. "No worries, Harry. I've been meaning to talk to you." Glancing around, he added, "In private, that is."

Harry nodded and led his former professor into his own room. Remus pulled out his wand and placed silencing charms all around the room. He also muttered, "_Imperturbatus._" "_Imperturbable Charm,"_ Harry noted.

"Harry," began Lupin, "I have a question for you. You have no idea how much trouble I've gone through just to be able to ask you this question, Harry, no idea. More trouble than I should have liked, and I may be on Dumbledore's bad side due to my persistence in persuasion."

This had Harry interested. "What are you saying, Remus?"

"I'm saying, Harry, that I would like to take you to Godric's Hollow to visit your parents' old house and their graves."

Harry drew in a sharp breath and looked Remus Lupin directly in the eyes. Remus shuddered at the boy's glare. No, not boy. Harry was now anything but a boy. "Dumbledore gave you trouble over this?"

"Yes, Harry. He believed it was in your…best interests to remain here for the duration of the summer."

"Like hell I will. That's what he tried to do with Sirius, and look what happened to him!" Harry said angrily.

"Calm down, Harry. It's ok. Dumbledore said we could go. Read this," he said, handing Harry a small slip of paper. He unfolded it and read:

_The former home of Lily, James and Harry Potter is located at 61 Edison Street in Godric's Hollow._

Remus took the parchment and ignited it. It crumpled into a heap of ashes on the floor, before Lupin pointed his wand at it and said, "_Scourgify!_"

"It's under fidelius, isn't it?"

"Yes, Harry. Dumbledore thinks it's for the best. We'll visit your house first." He got up and led Harry out into the drawing room. Grabbing a handful of floo powder, he tossed it on the fire and walked into the flames as he said, "The Potters Home, Godric's Hollow!" Harry followed suit and found himself being spit out into a dusty library.

"This was your parents' library. They both did a lot of studying out of Hogwarts; it helped them in the fight against Voldemort. They were both very intelligent, and your father in particular was excellent at spellcasting," Remus explained. He then pushed opened a door that led to a small corridor. The library was located at the far end of the corridor, and Lupin walked slowly down to the next door on the left. He pushed it opened and it revealed itself to be Harry's old bedroom. He looked around, taking everything in. He had a brief memory of this room – it was where his parents had been murdered.

Harry followed as Remus led the remainder of the tour through the house, stopping in the kitchen, his parents' bedroom, as well as showing him several secret passages and rooms hidden throughout the house. Entering a small trap door in the ceiling of the den revealed a room full of swords, knives and other combat objects, including a few guns. Harry admired some of the weaponry. "They left it all to you, Harry."

Remus took Harry then to the small graveyard in Godric's Hollow. He stopped at two adjacent tombs, one of which read JAMES POTTER, and the other which read LILY EVANS POTTER. Harry smiled and saw what he thought was a tear roll down Remus' face.

When Harry and Remus had paid their respects, they decided to head back to Grimmauld Place. As Harry turned, however, he found himself staring straight down a wand into the eyes of none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. He instinctively took a step back, hitting the headstone of his father's grave. Remus turned and looked at him before his eyes found the cause of his backwards step. He turned sharply on his heel in time to see six other hooded Death Eaters approach them. Remus decided to grab Harry and portkey out of Godric's Hollow immediately. Harry, however, seemed to have a different idea, because when Remus reached to touch him, his hand was burned.

Harry's eyes met those of his godfather's killer. His blood boiled at the sight of her and her Death Eaters. He surveyed the situation before taking a step forward, towards Bellatrix. "Lower your wand," he growled. Bellatrix Lestrange laughed hysterically at him. She shook her head decided the games were over.

Resuming her concentration, she said, "That filthy slimebag deserved what he got." She resolved to torture young Mr. Potter right there and then. She shouted, "Crucio!" but Harry had not moved. In fact, the spell seemed to hit him full in the chest. He did not so much as flinch. He smiled, absorbing the energy put into the wave of the cruciatus curse, allowing his emotions to take charge of his body, his rage causing the very earth he stood on to tremble.

By this time, the other Death Eaters were nearby. Harry pointed his wand directly at Lestrange, before crying, "CRUCIO!" He watched as Bellatrix sank to the ground, shrieking in agony. Remus looked at him in a mixture of fear, shock and horror. He was completely awestruck as Harry brought Voldemort's favorite death eater to her knees and at his mercy. He released the curse after a good half a minute. The sudden release caused Bellatrix to drop to the ground. The Death Eaters were taken aback by the turn of the event and the sudden use of their own tactics against them. Harry, however, was still shaking with pure rage. He pointed his wand at the nearest Death Eater and shouted, "REDUCTO!" The man flew fifty feet backwards. Harry then stunned two others before hexing whoever else he saw.

"I think it's best if we start retreating, Harry," shouted Remus over the action. Both wizards began their move backwards, not letting up on the curses they were sending in the direction of anything that moved. Suddenly, he heard a voice he had not been expecting. Bellatrix Lestrange was back on her feet, wand pointing at Lupin.

"Take the wolf!" she cried.

"Entenar Comenus!" shouted a death eater, wand pointed at Remus. Harry turned, but Lupin had gone.

"BASTARD!" screamed Harry. He gritted his teeth, lowering his chin to his chest. The wind picked up, blowing his hair into a messy tangle. Lifting his wand, Harry shouted, "FLANKAR VENEST!" Where the words had come from, he would never know. The death eater let out the most horrible shriek Harry had ever heard, falling to the ground as an invisible sword seemed to impale him over and over.

The wind dissipated as quickly as it had come. He noticed that the now dead death-eater's mask had fallen askew. Glancing over the body, he recognized none other than Lucius Malfoy. _"How the fuck did he get out?"_ Harry wondered.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" cried another death-eater. Harry dodged the spell by a hair's breadth, feeling it ripple through the air past his stomach.

"DON'T KILL HIM, CAPTURE HIM!" shouted Bellatrix.

Her order was met by dozens upon dozens of stunners being sent in Harry's direction. He lifted his wand, thinking quickly before shouting, "PROTEGO LENTO!" A solid wall appeared out of thin air surrounded by a thick layer of pure energy. Harry took the opportunity to get out. Grabbing a twig, he shouted, "Portus!" He felt a familiar hook behind his navel as he was dragged god only knows how far back to headquarters. Stumbling before gaining his balance, Harry noticed himself on the ground in front of an active order meeting.

"Harry," began Dumbledore concernedly, "what's happened?"

"Remus – Captured – Voldemort!" was all Harry managed.

"Relax, Harry, so we can understand you," soothed the old man.

Calming down as he noticed the other order members, Harry relayed the tale of the visit to Godric's Hollow. "We need to save him!" he concluded. Dumbledore looked around mournfully.

"Harry, this is a war. I refuse to put dozens of others at risk for the life of one man. That is exactly what Voldemort is expecting, and I'm not about to give it to him."

"What? So you're just going to leave him to be tortured to death?" demanded Harry.

"Mr. Potter, this is war. Remus has just become a casualty of war."

Harry was shocked by what he was hearing. Did his headmaster really just tell him that Remus was a casualty of war?

"We must cut our losses," the grey-bearded wizard continued. "We can not act rashly in this!"

Harry balled his fists subconsciously, digging his fingernails into his hands. "SO YOU'RE GOING TO SIT BACK AND LET HIM DIE?"

"Harry, Remus agreed when he joined the order that, should he be caught, nobody would come to his aid. I cannot put countless others at risk for one man!"

"I'LL GO MYSELF THEN!" he retorted.

"Harry, see some sense. Remus is a casualty of war. All you can do now is fight harder to avenge him." Harry turned his head so fast it cricked. The man who had spoken was not, as he had suspected, Albus Dumbledore. It was Arthur Weasley speaking. Shaking with rage, Harry's eyes turned from emerald to forest green, before turning completely black. The candles in the room flickered out, the fireplace roared and also was extinguished. Harry's belongings materialized out of nowhere before shrinking down to pocket-size. He pocketed the trunk and glanced around, before a resounding POP! announced his departure.

-------------------

The order members looked shocked at the sudden display of magic. Not to mention the hundred or so anti-apparation wards that were in place around the house. Dumbledore was the first to regain his composure. "It seems we have hit a little snag, haven't we?"

Harry glanced around at the curious faces that were now staring at him. He had apparated straight to the Leaky Cauldron. How he had done it, he didn't know, but he had apparated! He decided to ignore the stares and enter Diagon Alley. Tapping the proper brick, he put away his wand and strolled in.

His first stop was to the apothecary, where he purchased several potions that would disguise him. Downing some of them, he returned to the alley. He had also purchased several ingredients for potion making, as well as a new cauldron, which had shrunk itself down to size. He checked his money pouch only to realize that he was lacking in the galleons area. He entered Gringott's bank and approached a counter.

"Harry Potter," he introduced himself quietly.

"Mr. Potter. Right this way, please."

Harry followed the goblin to a back room, where he found several goblin-secretaries working hard. The goblin he was with stopped at the desk in front of the biggest set of doors. "Thindleweed requests Mr. Gringott's presence at this time, on matters relating to Harry Potter."

"Enter," said the young Goblin.

Walking through the large, polished oak doors, Harry noticed a small Goblin sitting behind a tremendous desk covered in paperwork and other assorted objects. It was five minutes before Mr. Gringott looked up from his work. "Thank you for your patience, young master Potter." He waved his hand and the other Goblin left, closing the doors behind him.

"It is my understanding that you recently left the care of Albus Dumbledore. I also understand that you haven't a place to stay," he said, lowering his glasses from his face. Harry frowned. Had the goblin just wanted to return him to Dumbledore?

Reading Harry like an opened book, Mr. Gringott said, "No, I do not wish to return you to his care. I am merely offering the assistance of my bank in helping you find what you wish. Leaning in closer, the Goblin whispered, "Mr. Potter, never has anyone openly defied Dumbledore's wishes, save Voldemort himself. If you are willing to take on your challenges without him and the ministry, the Goblins will aid you all the way. You may train with some of our masters if you so desire."

Harry's jaw dropped. Had the goblins just offered him help? But that couldn't be, the Goblins had never taken sides in a war that wasn't their own! Closing his mouth, Harry could only nod.

"I know it is a bit of a surprise, but we support you and your cause. We know you do not seek money and you did not ask for the prophecy," he said, a twinkle in his eyes. So the goblins knew about the prophecy. Interesting. "We have set up quarters for you on our own training grounds, should you wish to take them up. We have our most intelligent Goblins and Wizards down there, and our most talented. Gather your supplies and come back here.'

Harry left the bank after having refilled his money, still in shock about the Goblins' sudden allegiance to him.

He stopped at Quality Quidditch Supplies, Magical Menagerie and Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor. He also stopped in at Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, where he has purchased new robes for day wear as well as several pairs of battle robes. He stopped in at Mr. Olivander's, claiming his wand had broken. He purchased another wand. He then stopped in for books. Not only did he pull off all of his required schoolbooks for his own reading, he also took several on the dark arts, countercurses to the dark arts, occlumency and legillimency, quidditch and advanced books on potions, defense and offense, charms and transfiguration. He had shrunken all of them and placed them securely in his pocket. This wandless magic was still growing on him. He paused on the way back to Gringott's before turning into Knockturn Alley.

Once inside the alleyway, he pulled his hood up. He perused the stores, window shopping, while he looked for something interesting. An enchanted knife store caught his eye, where he purchased four daggers to conceal on his person.

Just then, he felt eyes on him. Turning sharply, he saw no one. He turned back towards Diagon Alley. Just as he walked past an alley between two stores, a hand covered his mouth and pulled him back. A soft voice hissed, "Stay quiet, stay calm."

Turning to face his attacker, he was surprised to find a very pale man with black, piercing eyes. "You were being tailed, Mr. Potter," said the voice. It took him a second to process that this man, whoever he was, had recognized him.

"How did you—"

"Ah, there are many things I know that you would not suspect."

Just then, Harry noticed blood down this mans front.

Looking questioningly, Harry asked, "vampire?"

"Not as slow as I've heard," chuckled the vampire.

"Why are you concerned for my safety?"

"A good question. We vampires have taken a very…avid…interest in maintaining your well being. We very rarely take to Humans, so consider yourself lucky."

"Yes, but why me?" he inquired curiously.

"You are not the only one who knows prophecies, nor are you the only friend to the goblins."

When Harry arrived back at Gringott's bank, he was still shaken from the meeting. Mr. Gringott had directed him to his quarters, secluded and covered by two Hungarian Horntails and a Norwegian Ridgeback. Inside, he was surprised to find many aurors and other wizards, as well as countless Goblins and Vampires alike. He also noticed centaurs, hippogriffs and thestrals.

A small snake slithered up to him, hissing, "Welcome, he who speaks to the snakes."

Leaning forward, Harry said, "Thank you for your welcome."

He entered his quarters and unpacked all his things before exploring. A tall and muscular man approached him, flanked by a shorter vampire and a very cunning looking goblin approached him.

"Young Mr. Potter, your training will begin tomorrow, should you desire it. Sleep well this night," whispered the man.

Taking the mans advice to heart, he returned to his room where he slowly found himself drifting off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter 4 – Carmenella**

**A/N:** Well, lacking in the reviews area. Sorry it took so long for all these updates and stuff – had a bit of trouble to deal with in real life. I know nobody's reading this right now, so I'm not going into details. Just sit back and enjoy the story.

**Copyright: **No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. All fictional characters native to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, etc. etc. etc.

Harry awoke the next morning with his head spinning. He put on his glasses and looked around, remembering where he was. He felt refreshed after a full ten hours of sleep, and guessed it was around noon. Checking out his quarters, he was surprised and rather excited to find an entire flat to himself, complete with a full kitchen and a master bath that included a jacuzzi and a large shower which sprayed hot water with enough water pressure to please even Hagrid.

Stumbling out of the shower, Harry dried off and dressed quickly. He was surprised to find a mug of steaming coffee sitting on his kitchen table. The shock, however, only lasted around three seconds before Harry drained the cup. He strapped one wand to his right arm and his other to his left. He then placed his daggers in strategic locations around his body. While he was not altogether familiar with the use of daggers, they made him feel more secure.

He walked to the door and opened it, stepping outside into a cool breeze. He could only guess where a breeze came from, seeing as to how he was several miles underground. Harry was also surprised to find it bright and sunny. _Must be enchanted, like Hogwarts._ He walked around aimlessly, before being pulled aside by a friendly looking Goblin.

"Hello, Mr. Harry Potter. I am Varince, and I've been ordered to take care of you for the time being."

"Hello Varince, pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. And welcome, Mr. Potter, to Carmenella!"

"A very warm welcome indeed."

"Have you decided whether you will train or not?"

"I think I'll take a day or two off before I start formal training of any sort."

Varince smiled, apparently pleased with the answer Harry had given. They spent the next few hours walking around, Harry seeing the sights. As the night approached, Varince had informed Harry that he had to be going. Just as he was rounding the bend away from Harry's flat, he spun around.

"I forgot," he said, searching through a pocket, "I have something for you." Out of his pocket he drew a small time turner. Harry gasped as it was placed in his hands. "Use it wisely."

And Harry did just that. He entered his quarters and explored more, this time noting a library with several books, as well as what appeared to be a sort of room of requirement. He thought of an armchair, and lo and behold, one appeared. Sitting down and making himself comfortable, he began reading.

Starting with the first book he picked up, Advanced Transfiguration, he had worked his way through Advanced Defense and Offense as well as his schoolbook on Charms and the advanced edition of that. He had used his time turner several times, in order to get in all of the reading he wanted. Using it one final time, he collapsed on his bed to sleep. He had used a lot of magic while reading, practicing any spells he came across. He felt much more comfortable with magic, however. He had learned to conjure, a very difficult aspect of magic, as well as transfiguration of large objects and advanced shielding and offensive pain spells. He also learned several household charms he assumed he would need with his new flat, including cleaning and cooking.

When Harry awoke the next morning, he was thoroughly rested and ready to go. He showered and donned some robes and his weapons before leaving his quarters. He still had no idea where he was or where he was going.

Just as he was about to turn back and find his way back to his flat, he was stopped by a man he didn't recognize at first, but soon realized he was looking directly at Bill Weasley, Ron's older brother.

"Hullo, Harry!" He said happily.

Harry, however, jumped back. Noting his surprise, he said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to turn you over. I work for Gringott's, remember? Mr. Gringott seems to have taken a strong liking to you – all the goblins are talking about his reaction. He's never really befriended a human beyond a business acquaintance."

Smiling, Harry nodded and shook Bill's hand, appreciating a familiar face. Bill could only smile at how Harry had grown, both physically and mentally. "I'm to start you on your training, should you like it.

"I would like that very much, Bill," he said, positively beaming.

Bill led him to a training centre specifically designed for magical training.

"This is our main training facility for new staff. Of course, you also have complete access to it. You'll start off being trained by some of the goblins at the beginning of the day – that's mainly book smarts – Arithmancy and other logic subjects. After that you have dueling with some really good wizards, mostly retired Aurors, which is followed by lunch. After lunch is physical training from some vampires, then some spell theory from some former Hogwarts professors. After that, you're free to pick and choose what you do, or you can go home. That is, you can choose to stay and work with the wizards on dueling, or the goblins on brains, or the vampires in the physical aspect of training. You're not ever obligated to show up, but if you do, it's recommended that you show up to all of your training. There's training every day, so you're free to take days off whenever you like and go shopping in Diagon Alley, or just hang around. I think you'll learn how to disguise yourself very soon."

"Thanks a bunch, Bill. Will you be training me at all?" asked Harry.

"Nah – I'm a curse breaker, remember? I have a few assignments to do this week. I'll be stopping by a lot, though. Mind if I stop by your flat?"

"Not at all – you're more than welcome to stop by anytime you like."

Nodding in thanks, Bill dissaparated with a loud _POP!_

Harry walked into the training facility where he was greeted immediately by a stout goblin that came up to his waist. "Mr. Potter, right this way."

Following the stout goblin, he found himself in a small room with a singular, rather elderly looking goblin. He had a few wisps of silver hair and wore powerful lenses. "Welcome to your first lesson, Mr. Potter," said the goblin, handing him a book. "This will be the book you use for our time together. I will teach you all that I can about as much as I can. Let's get started."

Several hours later, Harry had learned much about arithmancy, ancient runes and muggle studies, as well as gained a bit of knowledge in logic, particularly when trying to detect where struggles had happened or dark wizards had been.

He soon learned that he should always approach dueling slowly and carefully. Just as he entered the door of the room that said 'Dueling,' he had been attacked with several curses. Only just getting out of the way, Harry returned some of the curses with a few of his own tricks.

"STUPEFY! REDUCTO! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS! CORMA INCIENDO!" He shouted in succession. The first three curses missed their mark, but the last one made contact, causing strong lines of burns to appear over his assailant's body.

Approaching the man cautiously, he was surprised to see the same man he had seen his first day in Carmenella. He waved his wand and muttered a healing spell, causing the man to sigh with visible relief.

"Excellent, Potter. Nice reflexes, and excellent choice of spells. It's a good thing you don't shoot to kill," he said, chuckling.

"Sorry, sir," replied Harry, also chuckling.

"Don't worry about it – I've been hit with worse, much worse." The man looked Harry up and down with an appraising eye. "I see you've been working out, running and everything. Fast on your feat, always ready for attack. I'm sorry circumstances have made it so, but I'm glad you've been able to keep up with what's dealt your way."

Harry nodded as the man continued, "These lessons will not be jokes. You will be tested and tried to your limits by the best of the best in the world. You will come out of here tired, hardened and much smarter than when you came in. Here, let me see where you are currently."

An hour later and a constant stream of spells, and the man finally had a good idea of where Harry was. "Much further along than I would have hoped. This will be very interesting. I can't teach you anything else, you'll have to wait for your next lesson. I'll have one of our better men come in for you."

Quite pleased with his performance, Harry walked off to lunch. He ate as much as he could before his fighting lesson with the vampires.

When he entered the door that was labeled "Physical Training," he was surprised to find it empty. That was, before he was tackled to the ground by a pale vampire.

"You're a dead man," hissed the vamp.

"I don't think so!" Harry said, flipping the vampire over and jumping to his feet, only to be assaulted again.

"Not bad," said the vampire after he had judged where Harry was.

"Could be better at the technical stuff, but not bad as far as strength and agility are concerned. I think we'll make excellent progress here."

By the time his training had ended, Harry was thoroughly exhausted. His spell theory class had been rather simple, he had had no problem grasping theories. Entering the place he had begun to feel was 'home,' he collapsed on his bed. He awoke the next morning to begin the rigorous training session.

As he trained, he remembered Remus Lupin. He became worried, and the man he was training with asked him what was up. Harry described the situation, and the man reacted decisively.

Pointing his wand at his throat, the ex-auror said, "SONORUS MAXIMAE! ALL UNITS REPORT TO DUELING ROOM IMMEDIATELY."

As the groups began to appear, Harry felt true happiness at the amount of support he was receiving. Countless vampires, goblins and humans were prepared for battle.

The ex-auror, whose name was John, explained the situation. Three men stepped forward, along with four vampires and three goblins. They all conferred and drew up battle plans, deciding that the smaller the amount of force they applied, the better. They settled on only their group going, before dismissing the others. Harry had insisted on going as well, and so off they went. One of the vampires had a contact in Knockturn Alley who would know where Lupin was being held. As soon as he returned, they left by portkey.

When they hit solid ground, every single man present looked around at his surroundings. A small, dark castle stood in front of them, heavily warded. Harry and all those who could do magic immediately went to work taking them down. Crossing the barriers, the vampires informed the group where they could smell werewolf blood. Following the directions closely, everyone froze when they heard a loud scream.

"REMUS!" called Harry. Immediately, they were assaulted. The death eaters, however, were no match for the goblins, who threw them aside easily with magic. The vampires had jumped up to the room where Remus was being held. It was with baited breath that Harry and the others waited. Five minutes later, the vampires returned with Lupin in their arms, clothes tattered and bloody.

"Quick, there are more coming!" shouted the lead vampire. They all grabbed a portkey and were transported quickly to Gringott's.

After much arguing with Mr. Gringott, Harry reluctantly agreed to have one of the ex-aurors bring Remus back to Dumbledore.

While the others were rather happy with the success of their mission, Harry only began to train harder. "I don't want something like that to happen again," he would say when asked.

After two weeks of intense training, Harry felt stronger, more agile and much better about his spellwork. It was a Saturday morning when a goblin came knocking on his door. He was surprised to see Mr. Gringott, flanked by several guard-looking goblins.

Quickly letting them all in, Harry conjured some tea and a bit of food to keep everyone happy.

"Mr. Potter. Dumbledore has been looking for you everywhere, but has yet been…unable to locate you. An owl, however, did find its way to my office, where it deposited a letter regarding the upcoming year. Fortunately, the owl is now in our possession, so Dumbledore will still have no idea where you are. You are alright with not returning to Hogwarts for the time being, aren't you?"

"Yes sir, I'm very happy with where I am now. The training may be intense, but it's better than Hogwarts. Especially since I don't have Dumbledore breathing down my neck. Here I have some freedom."

And so he did. He had been reveling in his newfound freedom – he wasn't required to be anywhere at any given time, and he could come and go as he liked. He had everything he could ever imagine, including brilliant instructors and an air of friendliness that was not found in the normal wizard world. Down below Gringott's bank, it seemed, prejudices did not exist, and a person was judged based on who they were and what they did, and help was always available. Harry had even eaten dinner with several of his instructors before chatting kindly with them. Some of the goblins had delved into philosophical conversation, which he enjoyed immensely. Everyone seemed pleased with his eagerness to learn.

The next month found Harry as one of the most powerful wizards the Gringott's staff had ever seen. He had defeated almost every auror he had faced, and was on par with a lot of the vampires physically. He was also most intelligent. Mostly, however, he owed his success to the time turner. He had been able to take three, even four lessons at the same time. It really helped, being in four different places at once. He had also had more time to study and brush up on all areas of magic. He had been trained to apparate properly by one of the aurors, and could now do it with relative ease.

As September drew to a close, he found himself missing his friends, enemies, and even the Hogwarts ghosts. He continued training, in spite of his feelings.

Another month passed, and Harry was now beyond strong. He was very happy with his progress, but, as Halloween drew nearer, he felt an ever present loneliness. He missed his friends terribly. Something needed to be done, he decided.

After a brief conversation with Mr. Gringott, it was determined that he should return to Hogwarts on Halloween eve, during the feast. He would not show anyone that he had learned much, and would claim to have stayed in a muggle hotel. His latest auror instructor, however, had other plans in mind for him.

"Harry, before you go to Hogwarts, I have one last lesson to teach you."

He spent the next twenty-four hours learning to become an animagus. The funny thing was, that it had been about three weeks with the time turner. He had devoted all of his time to learning, and it had soon paid off. He now had two animagus forms – a feat that was extremely rare among wizards and witches, especially Harry's age. He could transform into a snake and a cheetah. He favored his second form, but his first would make it easier to get around in secret.

As dawn broke on Halloween morning, Harry bid everyone farewell. He apparated just outside the grounds in Hogwarts and transformed into a cheetah. He ran to the edge of the forbidden forest and turned to a snake, which was the form he used to slither up close to the castle. Waiting patiently for night, he began looking around. Hogwarts was the same as it had always been; the whomping willow was still in tact, and the giant squid caused waves in the lake.

When night fell, Harry heard everyone enter the hall. Just as Dumbledore rose to give his opening speech, the doors shot opened, and in walked Harry. The old man looked up in surprise. The surprise, however, was quickly replaced by anger.

"Harry Potter, where have you been!" It was a rhetorical question, Harry knew. Dumbledore hadn't wanted him to spill his guts in front of the entire school. It was just as well, he thought, because he hadn't planned on telling the old man anything anyway.

"Just here for the feast, Professor," he spat bitterly.

Harry could tell that Dumbledore didn't want him at the feast, but he sat down with a resigned look on his face. Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table between Parvati and Dean, across from Ron, Hermione and Ginny. The entire table looked at him, looks mixed with fear and curiosity. Most of the student body didn't know what to think.

"Harry, where—" began Hermione.

"Later," he said, cutting her off.

They ate their meals, mostly in silence. Harry could feel the eyes of almost everyone in Hogwarts on him as he swallowed some pumpkin juice. Turning his head to the left, he was surprised to see Parvati staring at him. "What are you all staring at?" he asked grumpily.

"Nothing, Harry, it's just—"

"Just what?"

"Just that, well, you're, uh, you look absolutely stunning!" she said, turning and blushing. Looking down at his plate, he said, "Oh. Well, thanks, I guess." He hadn't been sure how to react to that statement.

As the feast concluded, Dumbledore sought him out and found him. "Meet me in my office after the feast, Harry." Harry noticed the man was trying to be a tender grandfather figure. He, however, wasn't buying it.

As he approached the stone gargoyle, it sprung aside, apparently expecting him.

When he entered Dumbledore's study, he noticed the man staring out the window.

"Hello, Harry," he said absently. Harry took a seat, waiting for the old codger.

Taking the chair at his desk, Dumbledore offered Harry a lemon drop. Harry refused less-than-politely.

Nodding, Dumbledore said, "I wanted to see you to say I'm sorry about the way I reacted. It was blind of me not to recognize the danger Remus was in." Harry almost snorted with laughter. He could read a lie when he saw one, and this man was most certainly pretending to care for Remus' well being. Against his better judgement, however, Harry decided to allow the man to continue.

"You'll be happy to know, however, that Remus is now safe under the roof of Grimmauld Place. He has been rescued from Voldemort and is now under the care of several order members."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. His own headmaster had just pretended to have saved Lupin himself. This was too much, but Harry remained silent.

"So, Harry, where have you been this past month? I was terribly worried about you," said Dumbledore, trying his most sincere smile.

This, however, was too much. "Worried about me? What part of me? Worried about the fact that I might have been kidnapped, or the fact that you might have lost your weapon in the war?"

"Harry, you are more to me than just a weapon in this war! I care for you very deeply and your well being is on the forefront of my mind at all times." Harry noted that the twinkle normally present in the Headmaster's eyes was now gone.

"I have been living in a Muggle hotel, and enjoying freedom very much. I have been keeping up with my studies, at least, the theoretical aspects. You obviously weren't looking very hard, or you would have found me quite easily," said Harry, hoping Dumbledore hadn't been searching all that hard.

"I didn't see any transactions within your Gringott's account, Harry, that can't have been the case."

Was this man crazy? He was trying to call Harry on a lie, but Harry was a quick thinker. "Headmaster, I always carry plenty of spare change with me. Exchanging wizard money for muggle money is unrecorded at Gringott's. And you've been spying on my bank activities? I thought we had no more secrets, Professor."

"No, Harry, we have no more secrets. But I was worried for your safety, and decided it was appropriate to try and discern your situation based on your bank account. If there had been any withdrawals, I could have safely assumed that you were ok and living on your own. On the other hand, if there were no withdrawals, any number of things may have happened."

Harry could only laugh. "I'm fine, Professor Dumbledore, never better, and that's a fact. I have friends waiting, however, that I must get to. I'll be seeing you," he said, standing up and walking calmly out the door. He could tell Dumbledore was both angry and frustrated at the meeting – he had learned nothing.

Harry, on the other hand, approached the Gryffindor common room before realizing he hadn't been told the password. Fortunately, Neville came up behind him. The round-faced boy from last year, however, was no more. Neville had thinned out and become quite muscular. Apparently, the Department of Mysteries had done wonders for his self esteem.

"Hi Harry," said Neville calmly.

"Hi Neville, I was wondering if you would tell me the password?"

"Not until we've had a talk, Harry."

Harry was dumfounded. What had happened to the scared pushover of a boy he had known? He was not accustomed to a forward version of Neville Longbottom, but heart the determination in the teenager's voice.

"Alright, Neville, what do you want to know?"

"Where have you been, Harry?"

"Stayed in a muggle hotel, like I said at the tab—"

"Don't lie, Harry. Honestly, where have you been?" he persisted. And for some unknown reason, Harry found himself spilling his guts to Neville Longbottom. He felt some connection that he had not felt before, and his instincts told him that if there was anyone he could trust with his secrets, it would be Neville.

He described in depth his meeting with Mr. Gringott, his stay under the bank, his training, freedom, friends and activities. He showed Neville the time turner – something he had never even heard of. He also explained the current situation.

"I'm telling Ron and Hermione that I stayed in a muggle hotel. They'll both buy it, I think. I plan on returning every week, using the time turner to be here and there at the same time."

Neville looked rather impressed with Harry's plans, and he told him so.

The conversation ended with Harry actually inviting Neville to join him during his training at Gringott's. He scribbled a quick note to give to Hedwig later.

Neville then whispered the password in Harry's ear, "Covius." Harry barked it at the fat lady, who swung forward to allow him into the common room. As he stepped in, the entire common room went silent. He looked around, finding Ron and Hermione snuggling up on a small armchair. _Must be dating,_ he thought. _It's about damned time, too._ Suddenly, a crowd formed around him, mainly of the younger years, asking where he had been, what he had done, and what he was thinking, going against Dumbledore like that. He only supported the story that he had been at a muggle hotel, and that he had enjoyed his time alone immensely. He also said that he didn't 'go against' the headmaster, merely that they had disagreed on certain things. Sighing, he approached his two best friends.


	5. Chapter 5

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter 5 – Where does your loyalty lie?**

**A/N:** Haha, well, last chapter turned out alright I suppose. Starting to build up some readers and the like, and I'm having a lot of fun thinking up directions the story can go in. Lots of praise and some criticism of the relationships, but keep this in mind – nothing is as it seems. Ron's loyalty will play a big role in the future, as will Neville's newfound confidence. And the Harry/Ginny pairing? Casual flirtation, at best. I will not be including a Harry/Ginny relationship, you'll see  And don't lose faith in Dumbledore just yet, the ever-developing plotline in my head may redeem him. I also think the Goblins/Harry alliance has some explaining that needs to be done, which I'll include in this chapter – the goblins do get something out of the trade, make no mistake!

And soulfly – I apologize if it seems like 'super Harry.' It isn't. As you know, Harry (in the books) is very emotional at times, and his magic flares. You also know his magic is probably on par with Voldemort, or will be when it develops. His emotions can often result in rather interesting things. You saw Voldemort apparate easily in the ministry of magic in the fifth book, which is supposedly the best-warded area in the magical world, or at least Britain. It makes sense, though, because chances are that Harry is more powerful than those who set up the wards, which could only mean that he could circumvent them easily. It's always been a logic thing to me, I try to plan things out that could actually be possible.

**Copyright: **No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. All fictional characters native to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, etc. etc. etc.

Sighing, he approached his two best friends.

Plopping himself in an armchair directly in front of the fire, across from Ron and Hermione, Harry placed his head in his hands, thinking. He looked up and noticed his two friends staring at him concernedly.

"You okay mate?" asked Ron.

"Yeah," Harry replied nonchalantly.

It was Hermione's turn. "What were you thinking, running off like that? You could have been killed! Why can't you just listen to Professor Dumbledore for once? Why do you always have to break rules, go against authority? You're just a rebel without a cause, Harry. You should never have done that, it was really irresponsible of you."

Harry was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Hermione, his supposed best friend, was now lecturing him about responsibility. Why wasn't she lecturing Dumbledore about responsibility for leaving Remus out to dry?

Ron, however, reacted first. "What do you mean, a rebel without a cause? Harry's done more for the wizard world than Dumbledore can ever HOPE to! And you're sitting here lecturing him about responsibility! He's single-handedly taken on Voldemort FIVE TIMES, Hermione, FIVE. How many other people can say that? NONE. Don't you DARE stand there and insult Harry for trying to rescue his dad's best friend, after DUMBLEDORE just cut him as a 'casualty of war.' I don't believe you, Hermione!"

Both Harry and Hermione were staring at Ron in shock. He had never acted like this before, and Harry wasn't sure what was going to happen next. That, however, was answered for him, when Hermione turned and ran, crying, up the staircase to the girls dorms.

Ron sat down and sighed audibly, and Harry noticed most of the common room had gone silent and was staring at Ron, evidently as shocked as he was at the sudden outburst.

"Haven't you guys, uh, talked about this before?"

Ron shook his head. "Let's go up to the dorm." None of the other boys in their year dared join them, none, that is, except Neville, who responded when Harry motioned for him to follow.

"You alright, Ron?" Neville asked tentatively.

"Yes…No…I'm not really sure," he replied, looking confused. "I thought I was in love, but now I see she didn't even care about Remus. I don't know what to do." He looked up, straight at Harry. "Where have you been, anyway?"

Harry changed his mind, deciding that he couldn't lie to Ron after that outstanding display of loyalty. "I, well, I've been training at Gringott's bank. There's a pretty big training area deep underground, and that's where I've been. Training, with a time turner, for months it seems like. Training with goblins, vampires and ex-aurors. Even your brother was there, Ron, but I made him promise not to tell you. You can't tell ANYONE this, alright?"

Ron nodded, staring at Harry in awe. "But, the goblins NEVER – they NEVER take on humans that don't work directly on staff! How—"

"Mr. Gringott made an exception for me, I suppose. It's been an interesting time I've spent there, even made alliances with the goblins and vampires," he said casually.

"Wow!" was all Ron could say in response.

The three boys retired to bed before anyone else could come upstairs. Harry, who didn't feel like sleeping, was awake when Dean and Seamus came in. They both thought everyone was sleeping and were speaking in whispers.

"What d'ya reckon'll happen with Ron and Hermione now?" asked Dean.

"Dunno, but that was one hell of a row! And Ron, I've never seem him get defensive like that. But I suppose she had it coming, the way she acted. Did you hear why he went?"

"No," Dean answered. "Why?"

"Well, it turns out that Professor Lupin from our third year was a friend of Harry's parents. He was kidnapped, and Harry went to save him. Dumbledore refused. I heard Dumbledore got there before Harry did, though."

"Don't count on it. Did you hear it directly from Dumbledore?"

"No," Seamus admitted. "I suppose it might be false."

Harry shook his head and sighed quietly. He heard Dean and Seamus climb into their own beds, before drifting off to sleep himself.

Harry awoke the next morning after a few hours of peaceful sleep. All that occlumency practice had really paid off – he no longer had dreams and nightmares about Voldemort. He had practiced a small amount of Legilimency, but didn't feel it was completely ethical, so avoided it for the most part.

Stretching, he decided to go for a quick run. He put on a simple pair of shorts and a t-shirt and set off for the lake, where he ran several laps. He returned to the castle to find most of his dorm-mates awake and moving, but still beat them to the shower. He was thanking every spirit he could think of that it was a Saturday and he could take it easy. To Harry, however, taking it easy meant only training and reading for half the day, while allowing the other half for social activities with his friends.

Hermione did not appear that day in the common room. In fact, he had been left alone by any authority figures, until nightfall. The portrait hole opened, only nobody was there! Harry looked around briefly, trying to figure out who was missing. It seemed it was only Hermione, but he couldn't be sure – he didn't know everyone in his house. As dinner approached, the common room gradually cleared. Harry told his friends he'd meet them at dinner, waiting for whoever had entered to make their appearance.

He was surprised to see Mad-Eye Moody pulling off an invisibility cloak.

"Moody?" asked Harry questioningly.

Moody grunted.

"What's up?"

"There's an order meeting coming up, Potter, that I think you should be present at. You may learn some…interesting things. I heard all about your training from a contact of mine – glad to hear you're doing well."

Harry was surprised – the people he worked with had been sworn to secrecy. He supposed Moody might be someone that Mr. Gringott would trust – Mad-Eye usually kept things on a need-to-know basis. That is, usually, no matter who you are, you don't need to know. In this case, Harry supposed that Dumbledore hadn't 'needed to know' where he'd been.

"When's the meeting, Moody?"

"Next Saturday, four PM. I'll arrange transportation for you, or I'll have Dumbledore do it. Doubt you trust him, though."

"Thanks for the heads up, and the invitation," Harry said.

"No problem," Moody replied, and if Harry wasn't mistaken, he replied with some small affection in his voice – something that was not common with the grizzled ex-auror.

Dinner had been enjoyable; Hermione had still not made an appearance, for which Harry was thankful. He wasn't sure Ron would be able to see her without hexing her into oblivion, and he knew the Weasley temper.

Just as he entered the common room, Harry noticed Hedwig waiting patiently with a letter tied to her leg.

Untying it, Harry gave her a quick little pat on the head, to which she responded with an affectionate nip of the ear, before flying off. He opened the letter and read it to himself.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I have learned much of your young friend, Mr. Longbottom. He seems trustworthy and, after research, powerful enough to train with you, should you wish to have him. A friend of yours is a friend of ours, remember that._

_We've been keeping your flat clean, in hopes that you'll return soon to continue training. I imagine it's much more exciting for the trainers with you around, seeing as to the fact they don't get to train humans much, especially not talented ones. _

_Hoping your well,_

_Mr. Gringott_

"What did it say?" asked Ron.

"Just a letter from my trainer asking when I'd be back," Harry said, which was true, partially. The letter had been from someone in charge of his training, and they and they had asked when he'd be back. Not a lie, just a small distortion of the truth.

Ron's face fell at the statement. "Going back? When are you?"

"You won't miss me, Ron. I have the time turner. Even when I do go back I'll still be here, so don't worry about it.

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right, I'm always right! I'm Harry Potter, after all, the boy who lived," he teased in a mystical voice reminiscent of Professor Trelawney.

"More like the boy who seems to find trouble everywhere, escaping within an inch of his life," Ron snorted. Neville laughed and Harry put on an insulted look, as if Ron had just hurt his pride.

"Well, I've managed to make it twenty-four hours in the castle without speaking to Malfoy! What miracle caused me that honor?"

"Well, see," began Neville, "Malfoy's a bit…tied up at the moment. That is, in the hospital wing after having been hit by three or four jinxes a few days ago. Turns out when you combine jelly-legs, the bat bogey hex, a reductor curse and a stunner, you get a very seriously injured person. Coughing up blood and everything."

"Shame," said Ron, "I was just getting started when he was knocked out. He is rather wimpy, you know?"

"Well, that explains it," said Harry, content with the explanation.

As soon as Ron had declared that he had gone off to bed, Harry told Neville the news.

"You can come with me to train! We'll be using the time-turner to train and be in school at the same time, so that's covered. If you see yourself, don't get scared. I don't know when we'll be going back to and when we'll be back here. For all I know, we could be arriving back right now!"

They both laughed about the possibility of seeing themselves appearing out of thin air.

The weekend came to a close, and Neville and Harry decided to go to training first, then use the time turner to return to Hogwarts and take classes. When they got up early Monday morning, Harry led Neville beyond the forbidden forest and grabbed a portkey at the same time as he grabbed Neville's arm. Both were tugged and stumbled to the ground in Harry's flat beneath Gringott's.

"Welcome to my home!" Harry said cheerfully. Had he just called Gringott's Bank home? Odd.

"It's wonderful!" gasped Neville.

Harry showed him around his home briefly, before giving Neville a pair of battle robes for training.

For his first day, Neville had done superbly in training. He had a very good grasp on several key concepts in herbology, which Harry lacked, as well as a complex understanding in arithmancy, another subject Harry was not perfect in.

In dueling, the ex-auror he was up against had asked Harry to sit out for the day so he could test Neville. The end result determined that Neville was very close to where Harry had been on his first day. Neville had also been surprisingly good when it came to physical training with the vampires, and magical theory. Both collapsed into their beds (an extra had been brought for Neville) and fell asleep.

When they woke, Harry turned the time turner back twenty five times, allowing them an hour to get back to Hogwarts before being noticed. The hour was more than enough.

Hermione had shown up for class on Monday, much to Harry's displeasure. She disregarded him, Ron and Neville all day, and for the next two days. When potions came around, she had asked Harry to pass the diced salamander tongue.

The potions class had proved to be very interesting. Harry remained extremely concentrated on his potion – his magical theory class had required potions, and lots of them, causing him to be quite good. The particular potion he was brewing, one that healed burns and boils, he had made in magical theory not three weeks prior. Even Snape had nothing negative to say about it, and that was something for the books.

The week passed without incident after that, Saturday slowly approaching. Moody arrived in the common room, and, as per their signal, whistled twice. Harry said he had a few things to do before excusing himself from his game of chess. He and Moody floo'd out of the castle through a fireplace in an empty classroom – one that he had connected to the floo network. They ended up in Number Twelve.

Professor Dumbledore smiled at Harry, who met his smile and returned it with a death glare.

All of the order members were present, including Lupin, as they gathered at the large table. Dumbledore called the meeting to order.

"As you can see, we have a special guest with us today," he said, indicating Harry.

"Why am I here, _sir_?"

"Be patient, Mr. Potter. I would like to start by announcing that Mr. Potter has passed his test with flying colours."

"What test?" Harry asked sharply.

"Well, when a powerful wizard begins to take on a leadership role, they must take a test. This test will determine whether or not they are leadership material."

"I don't recall taking any such test."

"Ah, but I do, young Mr. Potter, I do. You see, the attack in Godric's Hollow had not been planned. We, however, used it to our advantage. Just as I was telling you that we would not save Remus, a reconnaissance team had already reported with intelligence regarding his whereabouts and a second team had been dispatched to free him. You, Harry, passed the test with flying colours because you forsook the only authority figures you have, ignored our demands and left anyway. You passed because you understood that war is not a game, because you did the right thing, and you refused to cut your losses. Everyone is important to you, and you proved it, and for that I commend you."

"You mean I was _set up_?"

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose." Harry looked disgusted, but Dumbledore continued, "Remus Lupin was not tortured at all. In fact, the people your…friends…attacked were members of the Order in disguise. I must say I'm quite impressed, Harry. An alliance with both the goblins AND the vampires? Such a thing is unheard of! Anyway, Harry, be at peace. I'm aware of your training under the command of Mr. Gringott, but only recently have I learned the full extent of it, and I don't mind if you continue to do so. In a way, it seems much better than the practical lessons you receive here. However, you must still show up to class so that you may take your N.E.W.T.S. at the end of the year."

Harry was still dumbfounded. The entire thing had been a test? Remus hadn't been hurt? Dumbledore knew about his alliances and secret friendships? What a day it had been! He turned and looked at Remus, who had an apologetic look on his face.

He ignored the rest of the meeting, and when it was over, gladly accepted apologies from Dumbledore, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Remus and any other order of the member who felt that they may have had something to do with it. Even Moody apologized, saying that he had learned from Dumbledore about the alliance and had been asked to invite Harry along to tell him the news.

Before Harry left, Dumbledore announced that he was welcome to join the Order if he liked, and that he would make an exception for young Harry, who had said that he would think about it.

Hermione had heard the news about the test by the next day, and had been begging Harry and Ron to forgive her for being so stupid. They reluctantly agreed, although Ron refused to get back together with her, which she thought was just as well. _They wouldn't have worked out anyway,_ Harry decided. Parvati, however, was still making advances on him wherever possible. He tried his best to pretend not to notice, but she was very attractive and he was a teenage boy with hormones, despite his best efforts to hide them. He ended up obliging her with a Hogsmeade weekend, which made her extremely happy. Secretly, Harry hoped the day would escalate into a bit more than just some butterbeer.

Ron, however, had taken a rather unexpected interest in Luna Lovegood, and Seamus and Hermione seemed to be very flirtatious around one another. Dean and Ginny were still together, and that relationship seemed to be working out nicely for both.

All in all, the year was unfolding nicely. Harry was just glad things were back to normal. Or as normal as they could have gotten when you were using an illegal time turner given to you by the most powerful goblin in Britain, who also happened to own a bank, to train with a fellow student at that very bank which had a secret training ground full of ex-aurors, goblins and vampires.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but chances are I won't be able to post one up tomorrow. Expect another update (or two or three or four) over the weekend.

Also, I've been informed that Harry has forgiven too easily. Who says he's forgiven. Moved on, maybe – fighting with Dumbledore won't achieve anything – but certainly not forgiven. You'll see – This will come up again in the future. For the time being, Harry is sick of fighting, and understandably, but by no means has that excused Dumbledore. Keep in mind there isn't really much Harry can do in terms of a reaction to what Dumbledore's done. He can't harm the man – he's not anywhere close to being as in control as Dumbledore as far as magic goes, and he can't just leave – the prophecy (something regarded highly in magic) says he will have to fight Voldemort. It wouldn't get him anywhere to keep up the fight. If you would rather read a story where Dumbledore and Harry are at odds throughout, then this is not for you. It so happens that it is extremely unlikely that anything even SIMILAR to them being at odds all book will happen. No, I don't think so. This is a more independent Harry story, not a rebellious Harry story.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter 6 – Rightful Relaxation, Achievement above Aurors**

**A/N:** Well, I'm moving to quickly, so they tell me. That's ok, it's going to slow down now anyway. As far as details – I'll do my best to include more, hopefully it'll be up to par at least.

Now to clear a few things up…

Darkepyon: Remus wouldn't be livid upon finding out about the test Harry went through – not much about his personality is known as of yet except his loyalty to Dumbledore, which is my premise for his lack of anger. Furthermore, he wasn't captured by death eaters and hung out to dry there – Dumbledore recovered him and then SET UP a test. Also, Harry hasn't joined the order yet – don't jump to conclusions. The offer is on the table, and Harry wisely decided to THINK about it, not accept it. And you must keep in mind that Sirius is NOT there, and he and James were truly the rebellious ones – Remus just never really reported them for it. And can Goblins even do magic? Dumbledore, thinking the Goblins were allies, tipped them off about the test – I suppose I was not clear enough about that. That's why they wouldn't let Harry go in and rescue Remus alone – they didn't want him to kill anyone from the order.

Sirius009: I don't think Ron will train with Harry and Neville. I always saw Neville as having some hidden powers that just hadn't developed yet, and I put him into training with Harry. Ron, however, doesn't know that Neville is working with him, so couldn't have a complaint about it.

Serena24: I'm not sure altogether how to interpret the cover of the new book – It depicts Harry and Dumbledore almost on equal footing. That means, to me, that perhaps Harry is more independent, but still works with Dumbledore. I can't see any friction causing a complete split – they'll work together at the very least until the end of the war.

Thank you anyone else who reviewed. I'd like to thank the academy…..

**Copyright: **No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. All fictional characters native to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, etc. etc. etc.

Harry jumped out of bed early Sunday morning. Tossing the covers aside and standing up, he tried to recall the dream that had awoken him.

_It was dark. Everything was dark._

_Harry looked around and noticed that he was in a small room; a cage of some sort. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed a small bench, a one-foot by one-foot window covered with bars, and a cell door with another one-foot by one-foot window and a small area for food to be passed through._

_It reminded him of his room at the Dursley's, particularly the time before his second year when he had been locked in and had his windows barred. His stomach rumbled loudly. After what seemed an eternity, Harry felt as if he were going to just lie down and die of weakness. He had no idea how long it was before he heard footsteps. A man approached, a man with changing faces. Some of the faces were familiar, some were not. The mysterious man passed a small plate through the door, which Harry picked up._

_It smelled like dung. _

_Suddenly, Harry lost his appetite. He stood up, trying to find a way out. He pressed at every corner, the hinges of the door and the bars of the window, trying with all his might to pull them free, but to no avail._

_He stopped and stood in the middle of the room, looking around. Despair setting in, he fell to his knees and screamed a scream that would be heard for miles around, had there been anyone to hear it._

He massaged his temples as he thought about the dream. Just then, he decided a trip to Gringott's would do him well; he needed some alone time to get his thoughts in order. He quickly scrawled his dream on a small scrap of parchment before writing out another note saying that he'd be out all day.

Running outside, Harry noticed Hagrid's hut had smoke billowing out the chimney. He hadn't been by for a visit yet this year, so he decided to stop in. Knocking anxiously at the door, he awaited the half-giant's arrival. Hagrid threw the door opened, beaming.

"'Arry! Nice ter see ya'!"

"Hullo Hagrid," Harry responded. "Good summer?"

"Lovely! Ye'll be surprised at what I got fer me N.E.W.T. classes!" He replied.

"I'll bet," said Harry, meaning every word of it. He wouldn't put it past the man to bring in a quintaped from Drear. (For those who have it, look up Quintapeds in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them. For those who don't, they're large, carnivorous five-legged beasts that like to eat humans for food. Drear is the unplottable island on which they live.)

"Well, come in!"

Harry stepped into the door and patted Fang gently on the head. Pulling back a chair, he took a seat in one of the large chairs at Hagrid's table.

"Whaddya' say to summat tea?"

"Sure, anything," said Harry casually.

An hour or so later, Harry found himself getting up to leave. He had enjoyed tea with Hagrid immensely: it had given him time to catch up with his first magical friend. After saying his goodbyes, he walked off to the forbidden forest, where he transformed into his cheetah form. In this form, he was one of the more rare types of cheetah – his fur was a deep, silky black and he was speckled with orange spots surrounded by red.

After running to the edge of the grounds, Harry transformed back into himself and disapparated off to Diagon Alley, just outside the Leakey Cauldron. He pulled a small vial out of the right hand pocket of his robes, which he downed in one gulp. He felt his scar vanish, his hair change colour and his face reshape.

When he entered Gringott's, he approached a counter with an unoccupied goblin. "Griphook, I'd like to see Mr. Gringott, please."

"Name?"

"Harry James Potter."

"Identification code?"

"07361"

"One moment please."

Thirty seconds later, Harry was being escorted to the offices of one Mr. Gringott, owner of Gringott's Bank.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter. This visit is rather…unexpected. Did you have something you wanted to discuss?" asked Mr. Gringott.

"Actually, sir, I did. What can you tell me about Dumbledore? I know he fancies you are friendly with him, so I'm wondering what you know about him?"

"Young Master Potter, all of our relationships involving humans are kept strictly confidential." Harry's face fell. "That said, I'll tell you anyway.

"Dumbledore is very intelligent and quick-witted. There is rarely a case in which he does not get exactly what he wants, and even then, he gets mostly what he wants. I believe, Mr. Potter, that you are one of the first human beings to openly defy his orders, apart from Voldemort and his band of scum. For that, you have my undying respect. He has a lot of pull in the ministry, which has a lot of pull over what interactions we have with wizards. While the bank runs itself, there are some laws with which we must comply to maintain our residence in Diagon Alley. He is probably the most politically powerful man alive, Dumbledore is. Cunning, too; he was a Slytherin in his day."

"Was he really now? Well that certainly is news to me. But you said your relations are confidential – how did Dumbledore find out that I was staying here?"

"Ah, yes, well, your headmaster does have a few tricks. He had a tracking charm on some of your robes when you arrived here. They were deactivated after we discovered them. He contacted us the moment you moved to our lower levels to inform us of his little plan for you. While I wholly disagree with his unorthodox methods, it was a very…unique way of testing you. Sneaky and underhand, just as he tends to be. Watch out for him, master potter. He can be very troublesome at times."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Gringott. I will heed your advice. Anyway, I feel like spending some time alone for now, thank you once again."

He arose and took his leave, walking down to a small cart reserved for those who needed access to the training grounds. He quickly identified himself to the goblin sitting next to the cart, who slid a hand along a device that evidently held the cart in place as Harry climbed in.

"Enjoy the ride," said the goblin, a glint in his eyes as the cart shot downwards. After several minutes, he found himself in the familiar area which he had come to know and love. Making his way through the main road, he stepped into his apartment to relax.

What he found, though, was vastly different from what he had expected. When he stepped into the room of requirement to do some reading, he found a rather elderly looking man sitting in a comfortable armchair.

"Welcome home, Harry…"

Ron jumped up out of bed and looked around. Harry's curtains were thrown opened, and Harry was nowhere in sight. Panicking, he ran down to the common room, where he found Hermione and Seamus chatting idly.

"What's the matter, Ron? Lost your wand?" asked Seamus.

"No. Harry. Gone!"

"Rather than running around like a chicken without a head, Ron, you should consider reading the note he left on his nightstand. He's out for the day," Seamus informed him.

"Wha—oh, well, nevermind then," said Ron, rubbing his eyes and allowing himself to wake up properly.

Just then, Parvati came down the stairs. Shaking her hair out of her face, she mumbled, "where Harry?"

"Out for the day," replied Seamus. "Maybe I should just post it on a big sign so I don't keep getting asked. I swear, that kid is the most popular person alive! And nobody knows where he even goes! I wouldn't be surprised if, in a few hours, McGonagall asks me where the bloody hell he is!"

And sure enough, at precisely two in the afternoon, Professor McGonagall did just that.

"Where's Potter? I need to talk to him about the Gryffindor quidditch team!" she asked no one in particular upon entering the Gryffindor common room.

"Out for the day, professor," said Dean Thomas, indicating the sign that Seamus had made earlier that day.

Huffing, she stormed out of the common room, muttering about "insufferable brats."

Everyone chuckled at her, resuming their activities.

"Welcome home, Harry…"

Harry opened his mouth at the apparent intruder that was sitting in his home. Finally, he managed, "Who are you?"

"We'll get there, relax. Have a seat," he said, indicating another chair that had just appeared.

Harry found it rather interesting that he was being invited to sit down in his own home. Shrugging, he took the seat and thought of a cup of tea, which appeared immediately in his hand. He sipped it casually, looking the man up and down. He didn't seem to be any sort of immediate threat, so Harry didn't feel the need to act rashly.

"I suppose you're wondering why I'm here. I'll start with that. I'm here to mentor you, tutor you and guide you along your path. I am not altogether living, nor am I altogether dead. I am not a ghost. I will help you discover your true nature, fight your dark lord and pass school," said the man, with a twinkle in his eyes reminiscent of Dumbledore. Harry wondered briefly if the two men knew each other; they looked to be about the same age.

"In any event, I can help you in any subject area for any reason. You need only ask the question. You never know what a simple question can achieve," he said, smiling.

"Actually," said Harry, "I was wondering if you could help me with my potions. I need to learn it if I want to keep myself well stocked, so it would be great to get proper instruction."

Harry spent that afternoon discussing potion theory and alchemical theory. He understood why Dumbledore liked alchemy so much – It was fascinating! They also discovered that the room of requirement made an excellent potions lab. His first potion would be one to heal major wounds. It was called 'Konefria.' His book on advanced household potions detailed the recipe:

_Konefria_

_Ingredients:_

_5 Gallons Pure Water_

_2 Pints dragon blood (Chinese Fireball preferred)_

_1 Asphodel Root (sliced)_

_3 Ounces powdered Holly_

_2 Eagle Feathers_

_16 Chopped beetle-eyes_

_4 Phoenix tears_

_Instructions:_

_Pour the water into a large pewter cauldron on high flame and bring it to a boil. Add sliced Asphodel root and stir five times anticlockwise. Allow potion to simmer before adding dragon blood. Stir sixteen times clockwise while adding beetle-eyes. Heat until the potion reaches 78º Celsius on medium flame before sprinkling in Holly. Stir twice clockwise and let simmer. Once room temperature, add phoenix tears and stir seven times anticlockwise. Let stand for two days._

Harry followed the instructions, finding potion making to be very relaxing and calming when he didn't have Professor Snape breathing down his back. When he had finished, Harry decided to return to Hogwarts. To his surprise, the man remained in his apartment. He didn't know who the man was, but he seemed trustworthy, so Harry allowed him to stay, but not before putting alarm charms all over his things and surveillance charms in several strategic locations.

When he arrived back at the castle, he ran down to the kitchens. He had just remembered that he hadn't eaten all day.

"Mr. Harry Potter, sir! Right this way!" It was Dobby.

"Dobby is happy to be serving Mr. Harry Potter. What can Dobby get you, sir?"

Harry thanked Dobby and asked for a steak and some pumpkin juice. A moment later, he was staring at a juicy prime rib. Mouth watering, he devoured the entire thing in a matter of moments before ordering some desert.

He returned to the common room completely full, where he was greeted by his friends. Parvati ran up to him and enveloped him in a tremendous hug, pressing herself hard against him. Harry returned the hug, kissing her cheek softly. He moved to his favourite armchair near the fire, where Parvati planted herself in his lap. Her sweet aroma was tantalizing as he fought hard to control himself.

She squirmed before turning around and straddling him, pressing her lips harshly against his. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him and returning the kiss. She melted as he ran his tongue along her lower lip before it pushed its way into her accepting mouth. She let out a soft moan before Ron shouted, "GET A ROOM!" Harry flipped him off, but he got the message. For the remainder of the night, the couple cuddled in the armchair. As the night dwindled away, everyone began retiring to bed.

Once alone in the common room with Ron and Neville, he relayed the days events.

"Weird," said Ron, as Neville tried to make sense of the situation.

"I wonder who it was," said Neville absently.

The three sat around the fire pondering who his visitor could have been before retiring to bed.

The next morning, Harry was awoken by Ron yelling at Dean. "IF YOU EVER HURT MY SISTER I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL KILL YOU." Apparently, Ron had just learned of the snog sessions that were going on between his sister and his dorm-mate.

"Silencio," muttered Harry, pointing his wand at the argument. Both Ron and Seamus were suddenly quiet. "Ah, blissful silence," said Harry, turning over and falling back asleep.

When he awoke properly, he remembered that he had Defense Against the Dark Arts first thing in the morning. He rolled out of bed and dressed quickly. Running ahead of his friends, he reached the great hall before it had filled up, and ate quickly. Before he could leave, however, Professor McGonagall had found him.

"Potter, we need to talk. Why did you skip out on Defense Against the Dark Arts last week?"

"Sorry, professor, must have slipped my mind."

"Of course, don't let it happen again," she said sternly.

Harry walked quickly to defense to apologize to the professor. Just then, he realized that he had no idea who the new defense professor was.

Knocking on the door, he heard a soft voice say, "Come in!"

Harry was surprised to find a young female instructor.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, nice to meet you. I'm professor McNamara. I'm an Auror, but Dumbledore asked me to come teach here for the year, so I'm on leave for the time being."

"Nice to meet you, professor. Sorry about skipping class last week," he replied courteously.

"Don't worry about it, we only were going over shields."

"Alright."

"Harry, do you mind if I test you to see where you are in terms of defensive magic and spells?"

"Uh, no, I don't think so. Test how?"

"A quick duel is all."

"Alright."

Both drew their wands and counted off. 3…2…1. Just as the last number was said, Harry fired off three successive stunners before diving to the side to avoid the jelly-legs and body-bind curses thrown at him. He shot off two impedamenta jinxes, a leg-locker curse and a reductor before being forced to throw up a shield of his own. He took a trick out of Dumbledore's book and animated a few of the things in the room to help him – a lamp, a hat stand and a chair were now also attacking his professor.

Twenty minutes and several hundred hexes, jinxes and curses later, Harry stood over his new defense professor, holding her wand in his hand. "Enervate!" he called, causing her to wake up.

"That was…most impressive," she said. Harry smiled, and she smiled back weakly. He pulled a small vial out of the left hand pocket in his robes and handed it to her.

"Pepper-up potion," he said. She sniffed it and nodded in approval, before drinking the entire vial full. He smiled, now ready for class.


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note: **I just recently rediscovered this story, and I like it a lot. I didn't necessarily enjoy the 6th book as much as I wish I had, and if anyone is still interested, please leave a review and let me know, and I'll be more than happy to continue it. I'd say I'm probably a bit better of a writer now anyway….


	8. Chapter 7

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter 7 – The World is a Heavy Burden**

**A/N:** Took long enough! Don't complain about my story. Constructive criticism appreciated. Don't like it, don't read it.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. Harry Potter and all associated names are the property of their respective author and publisher.

Harry looked at the landscape around him. The grass couldn't have been a deeper shade of green, and it felt soft and plush between his fingers. He leaned back against the tree that was shading him near the lake. Thoughts raced through his mind, reminding him of his ever busier life. _Parvati, Dumbledore, Ron, Neville, Gringotts, Voldemort, that man in his apartment – who was that man?_ He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. He had to clear his head; he needed a moment of peace and relaxation. Life was beginning to overtake him—a sea of obligations and demands rose up above his head, forcing him under. As much as he trained, he couldn't help but feel that he was not ready; he was struggling to reach the surface and in desperate need of air.

"Harry! Harry!" Harry opened his eyes and looked towards the voice. Recognizing Parvati, he sighed. Could he get no peace? She ran up to him and enveloped him in a hug. "I've missed you so much Harry!" she shrieked.

"Parvati, it's been less than a day," he said tonelessly.

"Yes, I know, but I just can't stand being away from you!" He looked at her and pushed her out of reach of his neck.

"Parvati, look. I have a lot on my plate right now and I need some time to myself, to be able to think and rest." He looked into her face and saw confusion, insecurity, and, above all, insult.

"Are you saying that…that…that you don't want me around you anymore?" she asked as she choked back sobs. She could read the answer all over his face. Not waiting for a verbal response, she ran off, crying freely. Harry's head dropped back against the tree. It felt as though he would never get a break. Sighing, he dozed a bit. Dreams filled his head—dreams of darkness, fire, a building falling, a woman screaming.

"Harry, Harry!" Startled, Harry jerked awake and shot into the air, whipping his wand out in one fluid motion and aiming it towards the intruding voice. As the adrenaline left his body and he became aware of his surroundings, he found Ginny at the other end of his wand. Standing firm, she shoved his wand down and away from her face. "Are you alright? I just saw Parvati running away from here crying…" she said concernedly.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." He answered, dismissing her concerns.

"Harry, don't you dare lie to me! I have known you for 5 years now and I know better!" she retorted.

"Listen, Gin, I've just got a lot on my mind right now, okay?"

"Alright, but if you want to talk, just let me know." She turned on her heel and proceeded to Hagrid's hut. He wondered what she might need from him as he fell back down wearily against the tree.

* * *

Ginny walked down to Hagrid's hut, worrying about Harry's well being. She knew something wasn't quite right with him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Rapping hard on the door, she was lost in thought as Hagrid swung the large piece of oak wide. He looked down at her, but her eyes were looking down.

"Wha's on yer mind?" he asked tentatively.

"What, oh," she said, once again becoming alert of her surroundings. "I was just thinking about Harry. It seems like he has a lot on his mind, and I'm worried about him."

"Oh, yeah." he said, not wanting to reveal what he knew about Harry's training regimen. "How are things with you and Dean?"

She dropped into an oversized chair in Hagrid's hut, sighing and staring out the window. "Not…not bad." she answered. "Oh, who am I kidding. They're awful. Dean and I can't spend 10 minutes together without getting into an argument about something. And it's never even anything important!"

Hagrid pulled the teapot off the fire with his bare hand and poured two large mugs of hot tea as Fang drooled into Ginny's lap. "Yeah, well," Hagrid began, but Ginny interrupted.

"I mean, he just doesn't understand that he is not the center of the universe! And then I look at someone like Harry, who has the world on his shoulders and never complains once, would never even think of making a fuss over himself. Why can't more guys be like him?" she pleaded, looking desperately at Hagrid.

"Yeah, well, he's a unique one. But don' let this Dean feller walk all over yeh as if yer nothin' but a bit o' trash!" he said, becoming more and more enthusiastic. "If 'e can't apprecia'e the value o' what he's got, he ain' worth yer time, an tha's the truth." he said sagely.

She smiled at him and gulped down her tea. Hagrid's tea was never very good, but she appreciated the thought. Besides, Talking to Hagrid always calmed her down a bit. It was her way of unwinding, and, more importantly it was her way of getting things off her chest.

A few hours later, Ginny was feeling both tired and cheerful.

"Thanks, Hagrid," she said as she turned to go. "I'll come back soon."

"Alrigh', but take care now and remember what I told yer about Dean." he called back to her as she closed the door.

* * *

"Albus, why do you always think that scheming is the answer? Have you ever considered the possibility that the truth, pure and simple, may yet be the best approach to this?"

Dumbledore sighed belittlingly. "Gringott, when will you understand that the boy is not prepared for the truth? He is just a boy, and the only way to truly teach him what the world is like is to deceive him. He can trust nobody, and he must understand that!"

"What the boy needs is someone in whom he can confide, someone to be there for him! Don't you understand what burden has been laid on him? Have you no concern for his mental state?" snarled Gringott.

"I have concerns about that, but nothing supersedes my fear that he will fall prey to some attack or deception that he is not prepared for!"

"If you want to ensure that the boy is prepared, Albus, then the solution is to be his confidant! Let him trust you! That will only happen if you trust him first!"

"I am sorry, Gringott, but it seems we are at an impasse. I have my methods, you have yours. Tread carefully." Dumbledore's eye twinkled as he turned to go. Gringott seethed angrily as the Hogwarts Headmaster glided out of his office.

* * *

The dungeons seemed darker and damper than usual as Harry proceeded on his way to potions. Professor Snape was already at the lectern as Harry took his seat next to Ron. Neville glanced in his direction, but Harry didn't catch it; he was preoccupied with his thoughts and tuning out the world around him.

There were instructions on the board for a potion they were supposed to be brewing: a potion designed to re-grow hair. Harry opened his book, unpacked his cauldron, and set to work. Potion-making in Snape's dungeon somehow lost the relaxing aspects Harry had only recently discovered.

Continuing his work, Harry didn't realize that Snape was leaning silently over his shoulder, observing.

"Mister Potter," he hissed. Harry, startling out of his trance, drew his wand and blew Professor Snape twenty feet backwards into the wall.

Ron gaped as Hermione shrieked, "Harry! What have you done!"

All eyes were on Harry as he shoved his supplies back into his cauldron and walked silently out of the classroom, his eyes on the floor.

Arriving in the common room, he threw his bag on the floor and set himself in an armchair. As far as he was concerned, Snape got what was coming to him—if he had only left Harry alone, none of this would have ever happened. Thoughts raced through his head again: images of Sirius, Remus, Cedric, Voldemort, his mother's screams, a flash of green light that he now knew to be the killing curse. Sweat dripped off his forehead and he clenched his fists, digging his fingernails into his palms.

"Harry," said a quiet voice. He started and reached again for his wand. "It's just me, Harry, it's me, Ginny." Realizing that this was indeed the case, he fell back into his chair ashamedly.

"Harry, what's bothering you? What's going on? I heard what happened with you and Snape, and that isn't like you! He's always breathing down your neck. I know something's up."

He looked away. This kind of personal inquiry, the constant questions, he didn't want to hear it. He was fine, why couldn't anyone see it? And it wasn't as though anyone wanted to support him. His life was destined to be one eternally in the spotlight. Of course people wanted to try and pry information from him, next thing he knew it would be on the front page of the Daily Prophet.

Responding to the silence, Ginny again insisted: "Harry, I saw you sitting here just now. You're sweating, and your palms are bleeding. I know something's bothering you, you can tell me."

Harry jumped to his feet and shouted, "I'M FINE! CAN'T ANYONE JUST ACCEPT THAT AND LEAVE ME ALONE?" Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he stormed up to the boy's dormitory and flung himself on his bed.

Ginny sighed. Ron came over and sat next to her. "That went well," he quipped.

"Oh shutup Ronald," she snapped, staring into the fire. "It's not like you even cared enough to see what's on his mind."

"Listen, Gin, guys don't like to talk about that kind of stuff. If he wants to talk about it, he will," said Ron with an air of condescension.

Just then, Professor McGonagall stepped into the Gryffindor common room. "Where's Potter?" she asked authoritatively.

"Probably destroying the boy's dormitory, Professor," answered Ritchie Coote.

"Weasley, go fetch Potter for me. Now!" she ordered. Ron went up the stairs and returned with Harry a few moments later. Harry was shouting at Ron, insisting that he just wanted to be left alone.

"That's enough, Potter. You are coming with me and you have no say in the matter!"

Harry followed close behind her as he mumbled under his breath. Coming to the statue of the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office, he felt a sense of loneliness.

"Palm Trees," said McGonagall to the statue, which moved aside to allow their passage.

"Professor Dumbledore is…concerned…about your behavior Potter. He is in with Professor Snape right now," she informed.

The pair reached the top of the stairs and found Dumbledore's office opened. Entering, Harry saw Snape standing next to Dumbledore and gazing out the window.

"Ah, Harry, good," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "Professor Snape has informed me about your actions in his class today. Suffice to say that he feels your willingness to use force against a Hogwarts Teacher merits detention." His tone had changed with this last proclamation and he looked sternly in Harry's direction. Harry noticed that Dumbledore's eyes did not seem to be twinkling.

"Yeah, er, sorry about that," said Harry quietly.

"Sorry?" snarled Snape. "Sorry? Is that all you've got? Your foolhardiness is going to land you in a grave someday, Potter. If it were up to me, you'd have been thrown out years ago."

"Unfortunately, Professor Snape, that decision lies with Harry's head of house, and Professor McGonagall has kindly declined to pursue that avenue."

"Quite!" McGonagall agreed.

"However," continued Dumbledore, "your actions will result in a week's detention with…" Harry held his breath. "Professor McNamara." He exhaled audibly. "Do not make the mistake, Harry, of thinking that this is an easy detention. I am quite sure that Professor McNamara will administer an adequate lesson."

Harry just shook his head. He was thankful that his detention wasn't with Snape or Filch, but still angry that he had to serve it at all. Didn't anyone understand what he was going through?

"Harry, is there something you want to talk with us about?" asked Dumbledore slightly more tentatively.

Harry glanced from Dumbledore to Snape to McGonagall. "No, sir."

"Very well, then you may go. Keep your calm and stay out of trouble!" he added.

After he reached the common room, Harry decided that he needed to get to Gringotts for some time to himself. Gathering a few things and hiding under the invisibility cloak, he headed to Gringotts.

Walking through the depths of the Bank and heading for his apartment, he reflected on his life. Eleven years with the Dursleys, five years at Hogwarts, and still all he wanted was to be alone.

He opened the door to his apartment and was half surprised to find it empty. Collapsing on his bed, he fell into a sleep the likes of which he hadn't experienced since before the Department of Mysteries.

* * *

"Hermione, can't you for once stop worrying about rules and protocols and try and empathize with Harry? Can you even begin to understand what he is going through?"

Ginny was now berating Hermione for her failure to be there to support Harry.

"No! You cannot just hex teachers, no matter what is going on in your life!"

The common room began to fill with onlookers. Among them were Neville and Dean, both of whom were surprised at the argument that was ensuing.

"He is obviously emotionally unstable and he needs the support of those who call themselves his _friends_," yelled Ginny.

"Well I'm _sorry_, I don't worship Harry Potter in the way that some people seem to. Just because he's Harry doesn't mean he gets to break the rules!" Hermione gasped right after she said that, clapping a hand to her own mouth.

"He has a lot on his plate, you know. He's fought Voldemort almost every year since we've been here and probably wi…" Neville was cut off by Dean.

"Why should he get special treatment. He's nothing but a rule-breaker who thinks he's above the law. As far as I'm concerned, he's no better than a Slytherin," he said, staring directly at Ginny. She stared angrily back.

"What do you know about what makes Harry act?" she retorted.

"Oh, and I suppose you know all about what motivates him? I have heard that you've been getting quite close. Funny how I'm the last to know," he said, clenching his fists. His insinuation struck close to home.

"That isn't true and you know it! I'm just concerned about him, and you all should be too."

"Even if we were, we wouldn't fawn all over him," shot Dean.

"Is that what you think? Are you really that selfish?"

"You think I'm selfish! Look at yourself!"

"Fine, this argument is going nowhere," she said.

"Fine," said Dean, and the two both ran up the stairs to their respective dormitories.

"Well, that went well," said Neville. He glanced at Hermione whose hands were still covering her own mouth.

"I can't believe I said that," she said.

"Hermione, you can't beat yourself up over it. But Ginny's right, right now, Harry needs us, and if we let ourselves get divided it will only make Voldemort's time easier," he advised.

She sighed and sat down, putting her head in her hands. Maybe, just maybe, she could bring herself to understand the burden Harry carried with him.

**A/N**: Like it? Review it, or there will be no more updates!


	9. Chapter 8

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter 8 – Love is a Battlefield**

_We are strong_

_No one can tell us we're wrong_

_Searchin our hearts for so long_

_Both of us knowin_

_Love is a battlefield_

**A/N:** I can't seem to update this regularly, but that's just tough isn't it. My story, I'll do it when I can. Stay tuned for more.

**Disclaimer:**No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. Harry Potter and all associated names are the property of their respective author and publisher. They are not mine nor do I claim them in any way.

_Whispers were drifting out from the veil. Harry looked around, his friends all held hostage by Death Eaters. The sound of the Order appearing echoed through the room, images flashed across his visual field. Hexes flying everywhere, Lucius Malfoy knocked backward by Sirius. Bellatrix Lestrange. Sirius falling through the veil. "Sirius!" Harry screamed. Bellatrix on the floor in front of him, his wand tamed on her and the cruciatus curse escaping his lips._

_His thoughts flashed back to the graveyard. "Avada Kedavra," he heard Pettigrew shouting. A flash of green light. Cedric's body crumpling to the ground. His parents encircling him and Voldemort. The voice of his mother. A flash of green light as his mother jumped in front of the fatal curse intended for him. Ginny Weasley lying on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets, the Basilisk poised above her. The searing pain of the fang penetrating his arm. _

Harry jolted awake, cold sweat pouring from his brow. He was breathing heavily, chest heaving as he tried to shake the dreams that had plagued his sleep. Rolling to the side, he planted his feet firmly on the floor. He stood up and glanced at his watch. _"4 in the morning,"_ he thought. _"Great."_

He walked down the stairs from the boys' dormitory to the common room, still breathing hard. Noticing the crackling fire, he opted for a comfortable armchair right beside the fire. Much to his surprise, Ginny was already sitting in the chair he had been eyeing. Knees curled up to her chest, Harry heard soft sobs coming from Ginny. Sitting in the nearest seat to her, he looked carefully at her face. She glanced back, noticing his heavy breathing and the sweat glistening on his face.

"What's wrong, Gin?" he asked quietly. She wiped her tears with the sleeves of her robe and managed a smile.

"It's just…I don't even know why I'm so upset, I should have seen this coming," she sighed.

"Seen what coming?" he pressed.

"Dean…we broke up, Harry." Tears filled her eyes again and Harry moved over to her seat, enveloping her with a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder and sobbed quietly. Looking up at him, she took a deep breath. _So thoughtful_, she thought to herself. _Always placing everyone else before himself, and here I am crying in his arms while he's so obviously distraught._

"But what about you, Harry? What's the matter?" she asked tentatively. He looked down at her and noticed just how bright the tears made her eyes seem with the flicker of the firelight.

"Oh, nothing," he said, trying to seem nonchalant. "Just couldn't sleep."

"Come on Harry James Potter, I know better than that."

"No really, I just had some bad dreams is all."

"Oh. I'm sorry." She realized that her hand was in his hair and pulled it back, blushing. Harry laughed.

"Thanks Gin, it always makes me feel better to talk to you," Harry said, and he meant it. He diverted his eyes from her face and began staring into the fire, beginning to calm down.

Ginny saw his body relax and she whispered, "You should get to bed, Mister Potter." He smiled at her and said he would if she did. Both in better spirits, they retired to their respective dormitories where sleep came much easier than it had before.

~*╬‡ӜΦӜ‡╬*~

Harry awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. He thought about the previous night and inhaled deeply – Ginny really was something special. He went down to breakfast still musing about Ginny. Finding Ron and Hermione sitting together in the Great Hall, he sat down in the middle of what seemed to be an argument.

"Well if you didn't go all goggly-eyed every time you look at a girl, maybe I wouldn't get so angry Ronald!" shouted Hermione.

"Oh come off it Hermione, I do not 'go goggly-eyed' every time I see a girl, I just like to compare their finer qualities."

Both of them looked up as Harry sat down, instantly halting the argument. "Hi, Harry. Feeling alright?" asked Hermione. Not getting an immediate response, she continued: "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for the other day." She became a bit flustered. Apologizing, it would seem, was not Hermione's forte. "I didn't mean…I mean, we just don't understand what you are going through."

Harry looked down at his plate, spinning his fork in his hand. He looked up and noticed Ginny sitting further down the table. Just then, she looked up at him. Their eyes met and his heart jumped. Not wanting to be awkward, Harry looked away quickly.

"And so I just wanted you to know that, Harry. Harry, are you listening to anything I am saying?" Hermione was still going on.

"What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, great," he said distractedly.

"Oy, Harry, we got Defense against the Dark Arts in five minutes, lets go," said Ron. Harry grabbed his things and walked with Ron to class. He wasn't sure what to expect of Defense against the Dark Arts with Professor McNamara, and he was surprised when he found all of the desks pushed to the sides of the classroom.

Just then, Draco Malfoy strutted into the classroom with Crabbe and Goyle. Blaise Zabini walked in shortly after, sneering. Draco noticed Harry and walked up.

"So sorry about your Godfather, Potter. Real shame, isn't it?"

Harry started. "Hope your dad is enjoying Azkaban, Malfoy."

"How dare you," said Draco, pulling out his wand.

"Ah, getting ready for dueling I see," said Professor McNamara, walking in from her office. "How did you all know today was dueling day? Well, I see we have our first pair, Harry and Draco. Why don't you step into the center and bow?" She smiled.

Draco started before Harry was done with his bow, firing a reductor hex. Harry was too fast, drawing his wand and batting it aside in time. Countering, Harry shot a stunner and ducked behind a desk to collect himself.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Potter. Scared, are you?" Malfoy jeered. In response, Harry fired a jelly-legs curse and dove out. Dodging the curse, Draco trained his wand on Harry, muttering under his breath. Just then, he raised his left hand. Goyle drew his wand and tripped Harry, having received the signal from Draco, who was about to close in on Harry.

Pushed to the edge, Harry decided to give Malfoy a shock. Mid-air, Harry transformed into a cheetah. Draco fell backwards trying to get out of the way. Just then, McNamara stepped in and waved her wand in Harry's direction. He felt himself pulled back into human form. The professor picked up both wands and looked sternly at the pair.

"Let's play fair, shall we? Act like adults." She handed the wands back. Harry wasted no time in throwing a disarming charm at Malfoy, who batted it aside and threw a body-bind at Harry who dodged left and cast a bat-bogey hex. Malfoy barely deflected it.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" shouted Harry, forcing Malfoy several feet into the air. The class burst into laughter.

Flushed, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry and shouted "CRUCIO!" Harry saw it all happening in slow motion. Instincts kicking in, he dodged to the side and waved his wand silently at Malfoy, forcing his wand from his hand. With another silent motion, Draco found himself wrapped snugly in rope. Another flick and he fell hard to the ground. The room was silent. Looking around him, Harry found Crabbe and Goyle held at wandpoint by Ron and Hermione. Professor McNamara stood in disbelief.

"That's enough for today. Class dismissed. Malfoy, Potter, see me," she said exasperatedly.

As class filed out, McNamara looked sternly at the pair. "What exactly was that all about?"

"Nothing, Professor, just having some fun," sneered Malfoy.

"Unforgivable curses are not 'fun,' Mister Malfoy. Detention. One month. And the headmaster will hear of this."

"Great, like I want to be in this joke of a school anyway," he said angrily and stormed out.

"Well done, Harry." McNamara smiled at him. "Dumbledore hired me because I'm in the order, you know. He wants to make sure he has faculty he can trust. I am impressed with your performance against Malfoy, well handled. I could see you acting on instinct and reflex at the end there, well done."

"Uh, thanks, Professor. We have a bit of a history."

"So I'd noticed," she said.

He walked out of the classroom, more stressed than ever. He needed a trip to Gringotts. Noting the time, he stepped behind a statue and flipped his time turner a few hours.

~*╬‡ӜΦӜ‡╬*~

In his flat, he found a note from his mysterious old friend.

_Harry,_

_Meet me at the square. I think you will find something both interesting and useful there. See you soon._

_G_

Perplexed, he checked to make sure he had his wand and headed out. He sprinted down toward the square. On the way, he ran into the first vampire who trained him. "Headed to the square? Good! Catch you soon!"

Even more puzzled, Harry finally arrived in the square. The first thing he saw was a massive dragon, not unlike the one from his fourth year. The next thing he noticed was a line of goblins performing some sort of magic, holding back the flames and shielding them from blows.

"Harry!" A mass of red hair descended on him and enveloped him in a hug.

"Charlie! What are you doing here?"

"Dragons, Harry! Gringotts trains the staff on dragon repelling techniques every so often, just in case, you know. Bill suggested me and they signed on."

"That's wonderful, Charlie." Harry smiled.

"Why don't you have a go?" he asked.

A goblin nearby heard this suggestion and shouted to the others. "Let Harry Potter fight the dragon!" The Goblins fell back immediately, and Charlie gave Harry a nice shove.

Trying to remember what to do, Harry dove out of the way just in time to avoid being swiped aside by a giant spiked tail. Fire was coming in his direction. Instinctively, he shouted 'Aguamenti!' and dove again.

"Harry, there are better ways. Here, try this shield charm," Charlie shouted, throwing up a shield into which the dragon promptly collided. "And use this one for fire, it's a better suppressant than water," he said, pointing his wand and shouting an incantation Harry had never heard before.

A few moments later, Harry felt as if he were getting the hang of it. Then, it occurred to him that he had no idea how to restrain it. He cast a binding charm but it was ineffective, so he tried to use ropes. No luck, the dragon simply broke free.

Charlie stepped in and flicked his wand. A collar appeared around the dragon's neck, the chain binding it tightly to the ground. After a few more complex charms, the dragon was contained.

"Well done Harry, but you have to use special restraints on a dragon or they will break free." He said a few incantations and Harry repeated them.

Just then there was a light applause from behind them. Harry turned and noticed the old man from his apartment smiling. "Bravo, Mister Potter. Well done."

"Who's this?" asked Charlie.

"Oh this is uh…" he paused, not sure how to introduce the man.

"One of his instructors," chimed the man.

"Oh, pleased to meet you," said Charlie, extending a hand. "My name is…"

"Charlie Weasley, yes, I know about you," cut in the man, shaking Charlie's hand. "Why the dragons?"

Charlie eyed the man and then Harry before apparently resolving to share some information with them. "The Death Eaters have started taming dragons, so training to fight them has become somewhat necessary. It's quite a project, lots of work for us dragon trainers – there aren't many of us."

"Well, I hope you are training wizards as well as goblins," said the man, whisking around and walking away.

"Strange bloke," remarked Charlie. Harry nodded in agreement. "You heading back to Hogwarts soon?"

"Sure, why? Are you coming back?"

"You bet. Dumbledore asked me to come give some instruction for the faculty."

The pair headed back to Harry's flat and each had a butterbeer. After laughing and joking for a bit, Harry led Charlie to the portkey room. The two grabbed an old plastic bag and Harry felt that all-too-familiar hook behind his navel, jerking him out of Gringotts and planting his feet firmly on the grounds of Hogwarts. He stumbled and then regained his composure, noticing Charlie straightening up. The two made their way past Hagrid's hut up to the castle.

Harry halted. "You said you are training the faculty, right?"

"That's right," said Charlie.

"Does that mean you have a dragon here, on the grounds?"

"Yeah, a long-tailed ridgeback. In there," he said, indicating the forbidden forest. "I'll stop by the common room after I meet with Dumbledore and I'll show you."

"Better not tell Hagrid," Harry joked.

The two parted ways at the entrance to Dumbledore's office, with Harry heading back to the common room. Sitting on a windowsill, he contemplated the coming war. Would anyone be ready for it when Voldemort finally launched his assault? Would they hold up against him? Would any of his friends die? This depressed him.

Neville walked up and tapped Harry on the shoulder. Harry started, his eyes finding Neville and his body relaxing. "Oh, hey Neville."

"Heya Harry. I just wanted to let you know that I overheard some girls talking about you and Ginny. Are you guys…seeing each other?"

"What? No! Who would ever think that?" he asked, face turning a deep shade of red.

"I mean, I wasn't sure it was true. I thought Ron might be mad if it were, y'know. But if you are, you don't have to hide it from me Harry."

"No! We are not 'together,'" he snapped.

"Alright, alright." Neville turned and went back to his seat by the fire.

Just as Harry was thinking of heading to bed, Charlie burst into the common room. Harry jumped down off the sill and smiled, happy that none of Charlie's siblings were in the common room at the time. They headed out of the castle through the main exit and walked down the grounds toward the forbidden forest. Harry stopped and put his hand out, indicating for Charlie to stop as well. He saw motion up ahead.

"See that?" he asked.

"What? Where? Oh yeah, I see it. What is it?"

"I think it's a person," he said, drawing his wand and aiming steadily.

As they approached, Harry noticed that it was familiar bright hair that reflected light in the distance. He put his wand away, smiling to himself at the eccentricities of Luna Lovegood.

"Oy, Luna!" he shouted. She turned and stared at him.

"You know her?" asked Charlie.

"Sure do, she was with us at the…last year. Her dad is the editor of the Quibbler."

"Oh, I see."

As the two approached Luna, she turned and fired a series of hexes in their direction. Harry threw up a shield just in time to deflect them before being forced to dive out of the way of another. He looked up just in time to see Luna's stunner hit him square in the face. After that, everything went dark.

**A/N** getting some excitement going here. Enjoy it, or don't. I might update sometime soon, this is getting fun.


	10. Chapter 9

**Dreams and Devils**

**Chapter 9 – New Revelations**

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement is intended by this piece. Harry Potter and all related characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers.

**A/N:** Like the story? Review it! Tell me your thoughts.

Kingsley Shacklebolt rested his head in his hands. Since taking over as interim Minister of Magic by majority vote in the Wizengamot, he had been faced with an enormous task. It fell on his shoulders to root out Death Eaters working inside the Ministry, and it was proving to be no mean feat. He was not really sure who his friends were, and who among his coworkers were trustworthy for helping with the task. One thing he could be sure of, however, was that Amelia Bones was on his side. Immediately on assuming office, he had appointed her Vice Minister, and he was considering appointing a senior undersecretary for Ethics. The list of candidates was short: Cecilia McNamara was certainly qualified, but was occupied with Order duties at Hogwarts; Arthur Weasley would be a great candidate, but might stir up too much controversy to be effective; Nymphadora Tonks was perhaps too nonchalant to be taken seriously; Bob Ogden was experienced in law enforcement but was subject to the influence of his brother and Wizengamot member Tiberius.

And then there was Augusta Longbottom. Long career in the Wizengamot, long-time representative of the distinguished pure-blood house of Longbottom, no-nonsense, true to her word. And why not? She was the capable mother to world-renowned Auror Frank Longbottom, and she would certainly not hold well with any nonsense. Yes, Augusta Longbottom might just be a fine choice.

Mulling all of this over, he set to writing a note to Augusta, and a second to Amelia. He requested a meeting with the pair in order to discuss his plans. If he was going to be serious about cleaning up the Ministry, he was going to need competence and influence among its most senior members. Augusta Longbottom was perfectly suited to this.

Sighing, he flipped open the Daily Prophet. It didn't contain any information about Harry's disappearance; he knew that only a few key players in the looming war were informed about that. What it did say, however, was that there were eight new disappearances and many destructive acts committed against various muggles. Things certainly did look grim.

Kingsley's thoughts strayed to young Harry Potter. The boy carried with him a burden even beyond his own as Minister. Dumbledore had recently informed him of the prophecy which called for the ultimate destruction of either Harry or Voldemort, a bleak prospect even for the strongest and most experienced of wizards. And yet, Harry had to face this at such a young age, bearing a tremendous burden. The boy certainly carried himself well, despite all his troubles, and Kingsley had to admire it. If only he could do something to ensure Harry's well being, he would act in an instant. But he knew that the best he could do was his own part in the war – leading an effective and uncorrupted ministry of magic.

~*╬‡ӜΦӜ‡╬*~

Hermione paced the common room floor in front of the fire. She was stewing; Harry was missing. It wasn't like him to just vanish like this, leaving no note and no information about his whereabouts. He must be in some kind of danger, and she felt a desperate need to help him. She couldn't recall a time he'd been in danger and she hadn't been there to help, not to mention feeling awful about the terrible things she had said about him. For all Harry's spontaneity and rule-breaking, about which she was constantly complaining, she had been a frequent and willing participant. Now, however, she couldn't be there. She felt absolutely helpless. His absence was stirring her beyond grief to fear, doom, and…no, it couldn't be.

Suppressing her train of thought she set back to worrying about him. Was he alright? Where could he be? Why hadn't she put a tracking charm on his robes when it had first occurred to her?

Suddenly a voice interrupted her worrying: "Hermione, if you don't stop pacing you are going to wear a hole in your shoes," chimed Ron.

"Ron, don't you understand? Harry is _missing_, gone! And nobody knows where! For all we know You-know…Voldemort has got him! Or he could be…he could be…" she stopped, attempting to disallow the possibility that Harry could be dead. This thought again sent her reeling, trying to imagine how she would handle that kind of news. It occurred to her that life might not be worth living without Harry, her first friend and her closest. It simply couldn't be the case!

"You need to relax, Hermione. I'm sure he's fine, off doing whatever Harry does these days," said Ron, under the impression that Harry had simply gone off to Gringotts and forgotten to leave a note.

"Well, I hope he's alright, but I have a feeling he will be fine," added Neville, having similar thoughts to Ron. He had settled on the couch beside Ginny, who was staring into the fire.

The conversation came to an abrupt halt as Professor McGonagall briskly paced the common room floor, arriving at their seats. "You four, follow me," she said sharply, leaving no room for question. The four stood and followed her up a staircase and through a hallway in Gryffindor tower, arriving at a portrait. McGonagall whispered a password and the portrait swung aside, allowing entry. They followed her through a short hall into a comfortable and ornate office which none of them had ever seen. A large desk sat in the center near the back wall, positioned just in front of a window. A fire crackled cozily in the fireplace to one side, and books coated the walls, concealing the stone behind them. McGonagall took a seat at her desk, waving a hand and inviting the four students to sit. They complied.

"This is not easy for me to tell the four of you," she began, looking a bit paler than usual. "But this is not a social visit."

"What's happened, Professor?" asked Hermione in a voice that revealed her fear. As much as she felt she couldn't handle bad news regarding Harry, she couldn't stand not knowing.

"Harry Potter has been captured, along with Charlie Weasley and Luna Lovegood," she said quietly. The room fell silent. Ginny squeezed Neville's hand. Ron's face went ghastly white and he looked as if he were going to pass out. Hermione began with the questions.

"Where is he? Is he alright? Who's got him? What's going to happen?" she shouted all at once.

Before McGonagall could respond, however, Neville spoke up. "What are we doing here? Let's go after him! He would do it for us, and we all know that's the truth."

Four pairs of eyes turned toward Neville Longbottom. Never in five years had any of them seen this kind of courage and bravery from Neville, taking charge in a dangerous situation. Even Professor McGonagall was taken aback by this sudden display of courage.

"Well, Mister Longbottom, I can see now why you were sorted into Gryffindor. While your bravery and courage are admirable, however, the situation is being handled, and I cannot allow any of you to leave. This news must stay within my office, and I am trusting the four of you to keep it to yourselves. As to Harry's whereabouts, he is being held in the home of someone we believe to be a Death Eater. I cannot tell you any more."

Neville looked crestfallen, but Ginny's eyes had turned to him with amazement at his outburst. He didn't notice.

"And Luna?" whispered Ron. "Why her?"

"Unfortunately, Mister Weasley, we do not know why she or your brother was taken, but the best we can do for right now is wait for Professor Dumbledore to return with news. Now, the four of you, go back to the common room, but keep this absolutely to yourselves." Her look softened. "And please, if you ever need to talk, my door is opened. I am as worried as you are," she added gently.

The four stood and walked out of the room, worried looks plaguing each young student. Ron and Hermione both headed to their respective dormitories, presumably to brood. Neville and Luna assumed their previous position on the couch before the fire. Glancing at Ginny, Neville said, "I'm sorry about your brother, Ginny."

"It's alright, Neville, he can take care of himself. I guess, growing up with all older brothers, you start to think that they all can take care of themselves, since they are always looking out for you. It's hard to think that any of them need looking after, except Ron of course. I'm sure he'll be alright. Harry, too. I'm sure they will both be alright," she said reassuringly. "But wow, Neville, I've never seen you act out like that. I thought you were going to go storm You-know-who yourself right there and then," she said admiringly.

Neville blushed and looked at the floor. "It's just, you know, I know he would do the same for me, like he did for Professor Lupin. He would do it for any one of us, and you know that. The least we can do for him is look out for him when he gets into trouble," he said firmly.

"Yeah, you're right Neville," said Ginny. She smiled. She had never realized that Neville could be this brave, and in that moment he had assumed a role she had frequently associated with Harry. He was confident, assuring, and perhaps audacious. Yet, his words inspired in her a certainty of Neville's ability to act, and any previous doubts had vanished. Gone was the boy who was easily intimidated and considered to be an accidental sorting by the Hat, and now present was a true Gryffindor—strong, brave, and capable. And, had he lost weight? She couldn't recall ever thinking Neville to be attractive, but in that moment she found herself musing over the suddenly and unexpectedly striking Neville Longbottom.

_Snap out of it, Ginny_, she thought to herself. Your brother is in danger, Luna is in danger, and Harry is in danger.

_But Neville wants to go after them! That is so like Harry…_

~*╬‡ӜΦӜ‡╬*~

Harry felt his presence of mind slowly returning to him. Head spinning, he began to recall why he was in such a state. He and Charlie had been walking towards the Forbidden Forest when he noticed a person…

Luna.

The next thing he knew he was here, wherever here happened to be. Blinking, he opened his eyes only to find that it was no less dark than it had been with them closed. He sat up, a feeling of lightheadedness overcoming him. Fighting his weakness, he struggled to his feet. He began pacing with his hands outstretched, reaching for the edge of what he assumed was a confined space. It took only a few paces to reach what felt like bars. A cell of some sort, he assumed. Pacing to the left, he discovered another set of bars and heard a slight bustling sound.

"Hello?" he whispered.

"Harry?" asked a male voice.

"Charlie?"

"What is this place?"

"I don't know," answered Harry dejectedly.

"Wasn't that your friend that cursed us? I thought you said you knew her."

"I…it is my friend, I don't know what's got into her." Just then, there was a stir behind him and he turned quickly.

"Harry?" a called a new voice.

"Luna? What the bloody hell were you thinking, stunning us? And where are we?" he asked harshly.

"Harry," she began sobbing. "The imperius curse…so sorry," she mumbled through her sobs.

"Its okay, Luna," answered Charlie. "Better witches and wizards have fallen under the curse, it's extremely difficult to fight off. But do you know where we are?"

"N…no, I don't," she said, choking back another sob.

Just then, the three prisoners fell silent as they heard a pair of footsteps approaching. Eyes adjusting to the darkness, Harry could discern the outline of a tall, large man. As he approached, torches lit along the walls on either side of him. In the dim light, Harry was finally able to put a name to the face – Macnair, Buckbeak's executioner in his third year, was walking quickly toward the rusted steel cells along a dirt path in what appeared to be a dungeon. He stopped at Harry's cell door.

"Well well well," he whispered, "what have we here? Young Mister Potter. Not so strong now, are you?"

Harry snarled as the man turned and began baiting Luna. "What have we here, Ms. Lovegood? Hope daddy doesn't miss you too much. What say we act like a good little girl and take off those clothes, make my job a bit easier?"

Anger began coursing through Harry's veins at the prospect of Luna being violated by this piece of filth. Before the man could take another step, Harry felt magic building up around him. In attempt to prevent the man from harming Luna, Harry summoned all of his strength and pushed forward a formidable amount of wandless magic, blasting his cell door clean off its hinges, wards and all. The flying fragment of steel was propelled back towards the wall, encountering Macnair along the way and knocking him clean off his feet. Harry fell to his knees, weak from the exertion.

A new pair of footsteps was heard hastening down the hallway, followed by another close behind. The first figure to appear in the light was Dumbledore. Both Harry and Charlie were astonished to see the mysterious instructor from Carmenella bringing up the rear, facing away from them and apparently prepared to take on any approaching threats. It was the last thing Harry saw before he succumbed to the darkness from his exertion.

~*╬‡ӜΦӜ‡╬*~

Harry felt consciousness slowly returning to him. Seeing only the black of the back of his eyelids, he wondered briefly whether he was still in the dungeon, not wanting to open his eyes and confirm his fear. Memories began returning to him of Macnair, Charlie, Luna, Dumbledore, and that mysterious man from Gringotts. How much time had passed since he and Charlie had gone off to the forest? How long had he lost in his unconsciousness?

As he was ruminating on these questions, he heard voices talking to one another.

"Ms. Lovegood, what is the last thing you remember happening?" came Dumbledore's calm voice, and Harry realized he must have been rescued. Opening his eyes proved to be more difficult than he had expected.

"Albus, where is the pepper up potion in here?" came the voice of his mysterious instructor from Gringotts.

"Just there, in that cabinet. Harry will likely need two vials," responded Dumbledore's voice. His instructor grumbled, and the sound of fumbling reached Harry's ears.

Luna spoke: "No, Headmaster, I don't remember very much about what happened before I fell under the curse. I think I must have been obliviated right after." The tone of her voice betrayed her fear and trauma. Her actions had caused her no small amount of guilt for having been responsible for the capture of one of her only friends at Hogwarts. The lack of control she had experienced was truly terrifying, as it was a sense of control that brought on her eccentricities.

Perspicacious as always, Dumbledore responded kindly. "Do not worry, Ms. Lovegood. It is no trouble. I will have Charlie take you down to Madam Pomfrey, and she will inspect the two of you. You should find her attention more than adequate. Might I suggest some dreamless sleep potion? I find that extraordinarily useful after particularly rough days."

"Sure, Headmaster, I'll accompany Luna to the Hospital Wing," came Charlie's voice for the first time. Harry could tell he was shaken up – after all, neither he nor Luna had ever been captured and held by Death Eaters, and it occurred to Harry that the experience was probably traumatic for someone who had not come face to face with Voldemort every year since age 11. He wondered briefly what other people thought of when they were faced with the prospect of dying. He knew his thoughts often strayed to Hermione, thinking about what she would do if she were in his position. He found that usually gave him the strength to continue. It came into Harry's mind that others might think about their families and loved ones, and the things they had never said.

_But what have I never said?_ He wondered to himself. _If I died today, would there be things I regretted not saying?_ His musings were interrupted by a pair of strong hands forcing his mouth opened and pouring a warm, peppery liquid down his throat. He felt suddenly invigorated, realizing that he had been given pepper up potion. He gulped it down greedily before feeling a second vial being poured down his throat. Energized, he opened his eyes and blinked twice, adjusting to the light of what he now recognized as Dumbledore's office. He heard the door close behind what he assumed to be Charlie and Luna, heading off to the hospital wing.

Harry sat up and grabbed the outstretched hand of his mentor from Gringotts, pulling himself up.

"Have a seat, Harry," said Dumbledore gently. Harry sat down in a comfortable chair across from Dumbledore's desk. His mentor took the seat beside him, and Dumbledore continued pacing, seemingly lost in thought. He walked to Fawkes' perch and stroked the bird gently. Fawkes let out a low note, signaling his appreciation. Dumbledore smiled.

"It's been a long time, Gellert," he said to nobody in particular. Fawkes let out another note before the man from Gringotts responded, seeming to know what Dumbledore was talking about.

"Yes, Albus, it certainly has been."

It occurred to Harry that he did not know his mentor's name, and that it must be Gellert. It further occurred to him that his mentor must know Dumbledore.

"About a half-century, if I'm not mistaken," added Dumbledore.

"That sounds right," said the man named Gellert. Dumbledore smiled to himself and stared out the window across the grounds.

"Ah," said Dumbledore, "Forgive me for my momentary lapse in manners. Harry, this is Gellert Grindelwald, a childhood friend of mine and former dark wizard extraordinaire."

Realization dawned upon Harry's face as he looked at Grindelwald, the dark wizard that Dumbledore had defeated half a century earlier.

"I was going to tell you, Harry," said Grindelwald. "It's just, I can't really have it getting around that I am out of prison and actively practicing magic, dark or otherwise. The reaction would be…less than favorable." He sighed and looked at Dumbledore. "I am sorry, Albus. I never meant for things to go the way they did. I was young, foolish, and, for my part, ignorant. If I could take back all those years, I would. I want to make amends, if that's alright," he said pleadingly.

"I am willing to forgive the past, Gellert, if you truly have reformed."

"Albus," said Grindelwald, looking directly into Dumbledore's eyes, "We were close friends once upon a time. Do you remember?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Yes, I do. I, too, was young and foolish. But sometimes life catches up with us, and we are forced to drop our notions of idealism for one reason or another." This statement rang particularly true for Harry.

"Yes, Albus. I see much of you in Harry here, forced to grow up much too quickly, missing out on his childhood. I suppose I feel guilty in a way for what happened all those years ago, and I am trying to right old wrongs through him. I guess, if I could do my part in destroying my successor, it would make things all those years ago seem less bad."

"You can't take back the past, Gellert, and you can't bring all those innocent people back to life."

"I know, Albus, but the least I can do is try to right some old wrongs. I don't think I could continue living with myself, knowing the wrongs that I committed under the delusion that I was doing right, without at least doing something helpful. Especially for Harry."

Harry was very confused by this whole discussion. He hadn't known about Grindelwald and Dumbledore's history, and it occurred to him that Dumbledore had never talked to Harry about his past. He had just learned that one of the greatest dark wizards of all time was training him. No, not only training him, but fighting Voldemort. This was all very perplexing to Harry, who could do nothing but sit quietly and listen to these two great wizards discussing the past.

"Albus, I know you are aware of Harry's training at Gringotts." Dumbledore nodded. "I have been instructed to extend an invitation to you to visit the training facilities which Harry has been utilizing. Mr. Gringott wants to tour them with you."

Dumbledore again looked thoughtful. "Yes, I would like that. But first," he continued, "Harry, remember how I spoke with you about training with wandless magic?" Harry nodded. "I think your display in Macnair Manor demonstrates your need for lessons. If you find yourself in sticky situations, wandless magic is extremely useful. However, you will find it less useful if every time you use it, you fall unconscious. Magic is a volatile thing, and its use depends on a channeling medium. Without a wand, magic is channeled directly through your body. It is already a powerful drain on your physical being to use any amount of wandless magic, but blasting through wards is beyond the capability of most grown wizards and witches. Discipline in the use of wandless magic will prevent overexertion, and allow you to naturally replenish your own reserves without requiring any potions. Will you agree now to train in it? In this room you have two tremendous resources in this training, so can you please allow us to help you?"

Harry thought for a moment. He had been angry and upset with Dumbledore since the situation with Remus, but he did see the point in what Dumbledore was saying.

Grindelwald spoke up. "Harry, remember the test Dumbledore put you through? When we were younger, Albus and I were extremely close friends. We had the world at our fingertips. But, with no forewarning, he was forced to face reality – something I was never forced to do. If I had been given a similar test at your age, I would have failed miserably, and that would have said something tremendously important about my character. I was not willing to risk my own skin to save my friends. I thought I was above attachment and love, and this turned out to be my greatest weakness. Your demonstration of love for those around you just goes to show your true greatness. You have to forgive Albus for subjecting you to such a test, but in light of his history, it makes sense to ensure that those you trust with power are also those you can trust to wield it justly."

Harry thought about this for a moment. What exactly did the test Dumbledore had given him mean? He supposed it did make sense, wanting to make sure that someone with such tremendous responsibility was trustworthy. In Dumbledore's shoes, he might have done the same thing. He supposed he could give the man another chance.

"Alright, I will accept your help. I am going to need it anyway, really. But, no more tests?" He asked.

"None," replied Dumbledore smiling. "You may not know it, Harry, but you wield a tremendous amount of power. Not just magical, I am talking about politically. You are a rallying point for Voldemort's opposition. It is a lot of responsibility for such a young man, but you bear it gracefully."

Harry shifted uneasily. "Thanks, I guess."

"Now, Gellert, when do you suppose we can visit this training facility?"

"Anytime you like, but I suggest that we give Harry a chance to rest first."

~*╬‡ӜΦӜ‡╬*~

Harry walked quickly to the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey awaited him. "Fine mess you've got yourself into this time, Mr. Potter. Come here and let me have a look." She cast several quick spells, a look of intense concentration on her face. "Ah, me, it seems you've gone ahead and depleted your magical energy. Simple enough to fix." She waved her wand in a circular motion, punctuating the motion with flicks of her wrist. Harry felt strength returning to him slowly. She gave him a vial and instructed him to drink, which he did.

"This potion will restore your magic a bit. The more you have in reserve, the faster you can recover. Drink it up!" Harry drank, gulping down the putrid tasting potion as quickly as possible. He was no stranger to the hospital wing and its various repulsive potions. "Now get some rest! I daresay you will need it. And," she added, "tell your visitors to shoo in five minutes or I will have to do it for you!"

"Visitors?" He asked.

"Yes. Professor McGonagall fetched them upon hearing of your arrival." She turned and walked briskly away, and Harry made his way to the bed section of the hospital wing.

~*╬‡ӜΦӜ‡╬*~

"Harry! We were so worried about you!" called Hermione's voice. Harry smiled, and his smile burst into a grin as she ran straight for him, enveloping him in her arms.

Ron looked at him intently before saying, "Thanks, mate."

"For what?" asked Harry.

"For taking care of Luna. For saving her I mean. She told me what happened back there." Harry nodded in response, hardly able to breathe from the force of Hermione's hug.

"Hermione," he choked out. "I can't breathe!"

She relinquished her hold and apologized furiously. "It's just, I missed you and I was so worried, I didn't know what would happen if you…if you…"

Harry interrupted her. "It's alright, Hermione, I'm just fine. Splendid, in fact. Never better."

She smiled softly. Harry looked towards Ginny, who was standing quite close to Neville. "Gave us a bit of a shock there, Harry," said Neville. "We were worried you were in some serious trouble."

"Neville was ready to storm your captor's location to save you," said Ginny glowingly. "He would have fought You-know-who to rescue you if he had to."

Harry smiled, knowing that Neville was more worthy of Gryffindor house than most who had passed through there. He couldn't help but be proud of all Neville had accomplished in the last few months.

"So how are Charlie and Luna?" asked Harry.

"Both doing well. A bit shaken up, I suppose, but what else can you expect?" answered Ginny. "But they said there was some man who, with Dumbledore, sprung you all out of there. Who was that?"

"Oh," said Harry. "Just an old friend of Dumbledore's." Everyone looked confused and Hermione was about to press him on the matter just as Madam Pomfrey walked in.

"Shoo! All of you! The boy needs his rest!" she cried. The group dispersed, and Harry was glad for the opportunity to replenish his energy with a good night's rest.

~*╬‡ӜΦӜ‡╬*~

Harry awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and energetic. Shoving his glasses haphazardly onto his face, he looked around, noticing Professor Dumbledore standing near a window on the opposite side of the wing.

"Feeling better, I trust?" called Dumbledore without turning to look at Harry.

"Much. Sir, if you don't mind," said Harry.

"Not at all, Harry."

"What day is it? I seem to have lost track of time."

"Today is Friday, December 9th. Christmas break is fast approaching, and three days have elapsed since you and Charlie Weasley set off to the forest," answered Dumbledore, smiling at Harry as he turned and peered down his long nose.

Harry sighed. It had been a long three days.

"Harry, are you ready to go to Gringotts? I daresay your friends will be in shortly, and I am a bit pressed for time today. I know if they come in they will want to see you for awhile, so would you mind if we went sooner rather than later?" asked Dumbledore, eyes twinkling.

"Sure, Professor." Harry got to his feet just as Grindelwald walked in.

"All set then?" he asked.

"Just about," answered Dumbledore.

As Harry slipped on his shoes and robes, the three left the Hospital Wing and headed for Dumbledore's office. "Gringotts has afforded us the privilege of using a portkey to travel straight there. Being Headmaster, I was able to key the portkey into our wards. I think Mr. Gringott might have it in his mind to pass this portkey to you, Harry, so make sure that you use it responsibly," he said with a mischievous look on his face. "All set? Grab on then!"

The three grabbed onto a small gold ring hanging off a chain, and Harry felt the familiar tug behind his naval as they were sucked through space and landed firmly in a small room in what Harry assumed to be Gringotts. The door opened, and in walked a goblin Harry immediately recognized as Griphook.

"Good morning, Griphook," said Dumbledore.

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore, Mister Grindelwald, Mister Potter," said the Goblin, bowing deeply. Dumbledore and Grindelwald bowed in response, and Harry, following suit, also returned the bow. "Right this way," Griphook said.

The goblin led the trio through a doorway at the back of the room, down a small series of corridors and finally into a giant foyer. A grand, ornate set of double doors set with gold filigree loomed over the center of the hall, which was encircled by various unmarked doorways. Griphook led the trio through the ornate doors into a small sitting room where another goblin sat. Looking up, the goblin quickly tapped a finger to a coin sitting on his desk. Something must have happened, because the goblin looked up and said, "Mr. Gringott will see you now."

Griphook led the trio through another set of double doors, revealing a goblin Harry immediately recognized as Mr. Gringott. Griphook bowed and took leave of the four. The door closed behind him, revealing a pair of armed goblins which, Harry thought, must be Mr. Gringott's personal guard.

"Welcome, sirs," said Mr. Gringott, rising to his feet and extending a hand. Dumbledore took it first, followed by Grindelwald, and finally Harry. Upon grasping Harry's hand, the wizened goblin smiled broadly. "Welcome back, Mister Potter."

"The pleasure is mine," said Harry politely. "I am happy to be back."

"And we are honored to have you among us," said the goblin, offering a small bow. Harry returned it, and Dumbledore looked on in mild disbelief. Gringott turned to the two elderly men and said, "Right this way, please." He led them out of the double doors to his office and turned left, leading them to a private elevator. They entered, and the doors closed, before Harry had a sensation of complete weightlessness from its rapid descent. Before he could think anymore about this, however, the elevator landed with a dull _thud_ and the doors opened, revealing the square where, just a few days prior, Harry had fought a dragon.

Gringott led them first to the room Harry had begun his dueling in. A man walked in who Dumbledore seemed to recognize, as he had waved politely. The man smiled back. "Good day," he said with a think Scottish accent, bowing to Mr. Gringott, who returned the favor.

"Good day, John, I didn't expect to see you here," said Dumbledore.

"Yes, well, drastic times, Albus," said the man. Harry knew John McKinnon was an auror whose family had been killed by Voldemort in the last war. He also knew that John was a great duelist and frequently trained with him.

"Well, gentlemen, are you going to just stand there?" asked Mr. Gringott. John drew his wand and fired a quick series of spells at Harry who threw up a silent shield before diving out of the way. He looked up and realized there was a deep blue hex headed directly in the path of his current trajectory. Knowing that a shield wouldn't be enough, he aimed his wand directly at the ground and fired a powerful burst of air, propelling himself up and out of the way. Upon reaching the peak of his flight, he began firing spells in rapid succession at McKinnon, who dove forward to avoid the hexes and began firing straight up at Harry, who cast a summoning charm on a nearby wall to pull himself out of the way before casting a cushioning charm to soften his landing. The pair resumed firing hexes as John climbed to his feet, whipping his wand through the air with extreme speed. Harry sprinted left and conjured a brick wall next to his exposed side, which absorbed a powerful blasting hex. He waved his wand silently and cast a tripping hex on John. Without waiting to see whether it was successful, he ducked out from behind the wall and began another series of rapid succession jinxes. John had been hit with the tripping hex and was struggling to get up when he was hit with a hard stunner to the chest.

Grindelwald was smiling, and Dumbledore was absolutely dumbfounded at the display of talent Harry had been capable of so early into his training. "Bravo, Harry," he said. "That was one of the most impressive duels I have seen, much less from someone as young as you."

Panting, Harry only nodded. Just then, he heard a rustle in the air and turned his head just in time to see a vampire running at him. He dove out of the way and threw a fist at the vampire. It made contact, causing the vampire to stumble before vanishing in a burst of speed and knocking Harry's legs out from under him. He could feel the vampire diving in for the kill and rolled out of the way at the last possible second, causing the vampire to hit the stone floor and reel in pain. Harry jumped to his feet just in time to kick the vampire square in the chest. Howling, the vampire jumped to his own feet and began to throw punches in rapid succession. Harry dodged left, ducked, dodged left again and knocked a hand aside before being hit square in the jaw by a powerful blow. Stumbling, he recovered himself just in time to catch the vampire by the wrist and snap it, kicking him hard in the ribs again. Maintaining a death grip on the vampire's wrist, he swung his foot to the vampire's kneecaps, sending him to the ground hard, before pulling his wand and binding the vampire in garlic scented rope.

"Well done, Harry," said Grindelwald. "I think this was your best performance yet!"

Dumbledore was positively stunned. He turned to Gringott and said, "This is very good training. Do you think we could train some of our senior members here, with your folks? I know you want this as badly as I do, and, well, it seems that young Harry here has gained a tremendous amount of skill in just a short period. If we could train together, that would surely benefit both of us?" For the first time in Harry's life, Dumbledore seemed uncertain about his request.

"Of course, Headmaster," said Mr. Gringott. "It appears that Harry will have a far greater impact than simply having to fight Voldemort. Perhaps he will serve to bring about equality among races which have struggled for ages with unfair laws and practices," he added pensively.

Dumbledore grinned. "Perhaps that is so," he said. "I will owl you to make the arrangements, if that's alright?"

"Suits me, Headmaster, but I hope you haven't forgotten our differences in methodology?"

"I have thought a good deal about that, and it seems that I may have been mistaken in my original approach. While I stand by my actions, Gellert has reminded me of what is most important in distinguishing us from our enemies. Not only love, but trust. If we cannot trust one another, care for one another, and support one another, then Voldemort's aim is achieved, whether he is living or dead."

"Words of wisdom, and you would do well to remind the wizarding world of the same," said Gringott.

After a tour of Harry's flat, as well as some of the other training rooms, Gringott smiled in Harry's direction. "Perhaps we should allow the Headmaster and Mr. Grindelwald some time to get reacquainted?" he suggested.

Dumbledore smiled and took his leave with Grindelwald, headed back to Hogwarts no doubt. Harry stayed behind, gathering his thoughts and relaxing in his flat for a few hours before returning to the castle to visit his friends.

**A/N**: I strongly support reviews!


End file.
